Naruto: The Western
by Convenient Alias
Summary: In the old West, Sheriff Kakashi finds three new deputies to replace his old one. Meanwhile, Lee embarks on a journey of youth and self discovery, only to come face to face with Kakashi's arch-nemesis, the evil bandit Gai.
1. Chapter 1

"Well…How do I put this? My first impression of you is….I hate you."

"WHAAAT?!" The girl with the pink hair and the blond boy chorused. The crow haired boy merely continued staring skeptically at the man, as if to ask if that was all he could think of to say, and that he wasn't acting very impressive.

Sheriff Kakashi ignored all three of them and turned to Iruka, his #1 deputy, instead. "What were you thinking?"

Iruka shrugged. "You asked me to find you another deputy to replace Rock Lee, since he left on his 'journey of youth and self discovery'. So I brought them."

Kakashi sighed. "Iruka…First, I said only one deputy. Second, one of them looks like an idiot."

"Hear that, Sasuke? The sheriff totally just dissed you!" Naruto laughed loudly, shaking so much that it looked like his hat would fall off any minute.

Sasuke smirked. "I don't think he was talking about me."

Naruto grimaced at him. "Hey, just 'cause you got insulted is no reason to take it out on Sakura. She didn't do you any harm."

"Personally, I don't think he was talking about Sakura, either."

Naruto looked at him, puzzled. "Then, he must have been talking about you, Sasuke. There's no one else here except me." He squinted at the dark eyed boy, and then suddenly straightened as the facts added up. "Wait a second, you lookin' for a fight?" He jumped onto the edge of a wooden trough sitting near Sasuke and glared down at him.

Sasuke sighed in annoyance and poked Naruto in the stomach, whereupon Naruto fell backwards into the water. Needless to say, he was drenched. The splash also soaked Sakura, who squealed slightly and jumped back just a little too late. In fact, Sasuke was the only one not waterlogged now; he had dodged.

"Third," Kakashi continued, disregarding the interruption. "One of them is a girl…"

Sakura (whose hair was a slightly darker shade of pink when wet) leaped in front of the two boys. "Ah, I'm not here for the job. I just, uh, wanted to offer Sasuke my, uh, support!" Inwardly she was saying, "I must support Sasuke to show him my love!"

Sasuke frowned at her. She was ruining his chance at making a good impression here. Moreover, he just didn't like it when fangirls stalked him. Sure, he was Sasuke Uchiha, fastest gun in the West, or at least in the village school. Sure, he was cool, particularly with the new gun he'd bought yesterday when he heard about the job interview. Sure, he was handsome, and, of course, the ever popular strong and silent type. But that was no excuse for a bunch of girls to follow him around. He had more important things to do than associate with them.

Though if it came down to it, this job was rather suspicious. Sheriff Kakashi looked a lot more like a bandit than a man of the law with that bandana around his face, covering up to just beneath his eyes. If Sasuke wasn't broke, he would just as soon travel to another town and become a different sheriff's deputy. He was sure someone more…reliable would appreciate his services.

As he mentally complained, Kakashi finished speaking to Iruka. "Fourth, why kids? They can't be more than thirteen!"

"Ah, yes, they are thirteen. But they aren't so bad."

"Really, Iruka? I thought more of you…"

"Sasuke is a really good shot and fighter, and he's really smart! And Naruto…uh…Naruto is nice when you get to know him!"

"I'm sure," Kakashi said in a voice that didn't sound too sure at all. "But there are more capable options in this city. Hire an unemployed cowhand, or a drifter, or someone…At least an adult, you know. Someone with a bit more experience, which is valuable." As he said the last part he glanced at Sasuke, who certainly was acting very condescending for his inexperience.

Iruka coughed. "Yes, well."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"The fact is…I tried. They…" He gulped. If he knew Kakashi, he wasn't going to like this. "They wanted higher wages."

Kakashi gave a withering stare. "Iruka, I already told you. Our current budget is low and if we raise the wages anymore, we'll be broke. I need money for essential supplies." Including his newest books, magazines, drinks at the local bar, and gambling. Not to mention a new pair of chaps. These ones were starting to look a little old.

"Well yes, Kakashi, but isn't twenty five cents a month a little low?"

Kakashi stared even harder and Iruka got annoyed. "Listen, maybe Rock Lee will stand for that kind of stuff but not most people! You should be grateful I found this many people! And that they weren't dishonest or anything!"

Kakashi casually stepped over to Iruka and punched him in the face, sending him flying several feet. This accomplished, he turned back to the deputy candidates.

"I trust you have no complaints about the wages. In addition to the amazing twenty five cents a month you will be fed and get to live in the sheriff house."

The two boys shifted uneasily as they considered their futures. Sakura glanced worriedly at Sasuke. She had heard that the last deputy had worked himself to the breaking point: He had collapsed several times and apparently gone mad, because every time he had come back to the sheriff babbling about youthful perseverance. She didn't want that for Sasuke, but she knew he would make such a handsome sheriff/deputy…She giggled nervously.

Finally Naruto spoke. "Listen up, Mr. Kakashi! I'm not here for the money! If you paid me only ten cents a month I would still want this job! Because I want to protect the people of this city, and I can only do that as your deputy! And someday I'm going to continue on and become mayor of this city, believe it! So give me the job, mister."

"Not so fast. I think Sasuke may have something to say." He turned to Sasuke. "Yes?"

"Funds…are not an issue. By becoming your deputy, I can hunt down bandits. And someday…I can hunt him down. That's enough for me." Sasuke smirked.

Kakashi considered for a second. They had answered his questions well, but that was not enough. "Come to the sheriff house tomorrow at nine. I'll meet you there, and test you as to who will get the job."

Naruto scrunched up his face. "Why do you need to test us? I'm for real!"

"Do you want the job or not?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna ace your little test. BELIEVE IT!" He walked away.

Sasuke merely nodded. "I'll be there." He also walked off, in the opposite direction. Sakura ran after him, eagerly calling out his name.

Iruka, now recovered, smiled brightly. "Nice candidates, huh?"

"At this rate…I think I'd just choose Sakura."

The next day Kakashi arrived at one o'clock to find the three teenagers looking very disgruntled. Naruto was angrily talking to Sakura about irresponsible sheriffs, who was trying to talk to Sasuke about how she wished him luck on the so-called test, who was staring at the ground and fiddling with a piece of tumbleweed. His expression was impatient to the point of murderous.

"Good morning!" Kakashi greeted them.

"It isn't morning anymore! We've been waiting four hours for you! BELIEVE IT!"

"Mr. Kakashi, it isn't very nice of you to keep my Sasuke waiting this way!"

"So you finally showed up, hmmm?"

Kakashi laughed. "Oh, that. I got lost on the path of life, trying to find my way to the spring of youth…"

"Who'd believe an excuse like that?!" Both Sakura and Naruto shouted. Kakashi wondered whether they'd ever considered joining a chorus, they spoke in unison very well. Sasuke wouldn't be able to join it, of course, he was just scowling. Oh well. It was time to get down to business.

"The test is simple. I have a pair of bells here, see." He held them out towards the group of kids. They gazed at the bells with extreme concentration. Clearly these would be important! "Whoever gets the bells within the next two hours can become my deputy. But there are only two, and thus one of you will be eliminated!" He ended triumphantly.

"Uh, Mr. Kakashi? I'm not interested in becoming a deputy…I'm just here to root Sasuke on…"

Kakashi ignored her, because the words of pink haired girls were beneath his notice, apparently. "The contest will begin on the count of three. One…"

Suddenly Naruto jumped forward, making a desperate grab at the bells. Kakashi avoided him and then punched him in the face, lightly so he wouldn't be knocked out. After all, the might of Sheriff Kakashi's fist was feared far and wide; it could easily be too much for a poor little boy like Naruto. He then ignored this interruption, too, and resumed counting. "Two…Three…Go."

Naruto lunged to attack again, but this time Kakashi dodged back, turned, and ran away, not even stopping to speak. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Surely Kakashi wasn't afraid of Naruto's efforts, and probably not of his either. So why would he run from them? It would just expend energy. Wait, where was he running? Oh no…

"Naruto, we have to stop him before he reaches the stables!" Sasuke shouted. "If he gets on a horse…"

Naruto and Sakura gasped. "You're right!" Naruto said. "We have to stop him! BELIEVE IT!"

Naruto ran the fastest of the three. He, as an orphan, had had very little to do as a child. As a result, he had ended up wandering the streets of the village hundreds of times to relieve boredom. This meant that he knew the streets as well as the back of his hand; better, actually, since he was not at all inclined to staring at his hand for hours on end. And so he knew the quickest route to the stable, which was about a block away. Sasuke and Sakura followed as quickly as they could, although Sakura was hindered by her cotton skirt.

But as they neared the stables, a horse came veering out of it. It was sleekly black (Naruto knew its name: Crowmane) and about three times as tall as the kids, who jumped out of the way, Sasuke ending up slamming against a woody picket fence. From where she stood, Sakura could see Kakashi's back. For just a second, he turned and winked. Then he was off, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

"BLASTED SHERIFF!" Naruto shouted. Sakura kicked her booted toe in the dirt. But Sasuke remained undaunted.

"Saddle a horse, or ride bareback if you can. I'm going to get this job if it kills me," he ground out. "And if you aren't up to it, too bad. I'm not going to wait up."

Naruto turned red. "Of course I'm up to it. Idiot."

Inside the stables, he chose an orange steed. Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. "Interesting choice," he noted.

"Maure and I go way back," Naruto proclaimed. "Don't we, Maure? I remember when I was only five and I first tried to ride you and was kicked out by a groom…Oh, the good old days. But enough reminiscing!" He shouted. With that he jumped onto Maure's back, or rather, he jumped and Maure bowed down to let him on. "Hi ho Maure, and AWAAAAY!" The horse galloped furiously out of the stable.

Sasuke shrugged. He himself picked out a grey horse with a mane trimmed short like it was used by the army. It looked rather slow, but Sasuke had to ride bareback unless he wanted to waste the time needed for saddling a steed, and this one looked complacent enough not to buck him off. He climbed on, and looked at Sakura. "Well? You coming?"

"Sasuke! Uh, I'll ride behind you." Sakura grabbed Sasuke's hand and he pulled her up. She sat holding onto his waist so she wouldn't fall off.

Naruto was waiting for them at the border where the town, Konoha Creek, met the ungoverned desert. He grinned. "About time you caught up! Maure's a spitfire mare and she's real fast, so if I lose you, call out: I'll wait! Hi ho Maure…and AWWAAAAY!" He shouted again.

With that, the hunt for the sheriff was on. The three candidates rode on and on across the sand. It would have been hopeless to find him at all, but he had carelessly left a track of hoof marks behind him. Either he was confident that they would be unable to get the bells anyways, he was making it easy for them because they were new, or…

Was he really that stupid?

In any case, they caught up to Kakashi after about thirty minutes. "Hold!" Sasuke shouted.

"Yeah, stop!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto hollered, "If you don't stop, we'll make you! BELIEVE IT!"

But Kakashi didn't stop. "So, uh, Sasuke, what do we do now?" Naruto asked.

Huh, so the big mouth had finally recognized Sasuke's superiority. Sasuke was pleased. Perhaps Naruto wasn't such a fool after all. But the black haired boy didn't really know what to do either. He turned to Sakura.

"Sakura, you know what the plan is, right?"

"Of course, Sasuke! I'll rope his horse with my lasso skills, and the rope I brought along. Then…" She outlined a plan while Naruto watched in amazement and gave her a thumbs up.

"Yes, that was my plan too," Sasuke said coolly. "Now let's go."

Sakura twirled her lariat in the air expertly and then sent it flying over Crowmane's neck. The horse tried to keep running, but as he struggled, Maure and Naruto rode up alongside it. Maure gave Crowmane a hip check (if such things are possible for horses) that brought it up short, and at such short range, Naruto could easily rope him to reinforce Sakura's lasso. In a few minutes, Naruto and Sasuke had Kakashi trapped between their horses. So why did he look so confident?

"Kakashi, you better hand over those bells, or I'll use this on you," Sasuke warned, pulling out his brand new gun.

Kakashi snorted. "Nonsense. If I'm killed, I'll never make you my deputies. And you'd probably be sent to jail or even hanged as murderers."

Sakura smiled a little dangerously. "But Kakashi, there are things you can do with guns without shooting people," she said gently and a little patronizingly.

"Yeah, BELIEVE IT!" Naruto added.

Sasuke conked Kakashi on the head with the gun.

The sheriff almost fell off his horse. Naruto grabbed him and held him up in the saddle. "Out cold," he announced.

"Just as planned," Sasuke gloated. And so they brought Kakashi back to town, after draping him over the saddle so that Naruto wouldn't have to support him the whole way.

Kakashi woke up tied to a fence post next to the sheriff house with Naruto's face about three inches from his.

"Hey mister, we've searched your horse and your body for those bells and we can't find them. So give them to us!"

Sasuke sighed. Honestly, Naruto shouldn't have told Kakashi that they had didn't know where the bells were. He had no idea how to conduct an interrogation.

"I can't," Kakashi answered.

"Why not?" Sakura asked.

"Well, for one thing I'm tied to a fence post. But also, I haven't got them."

"You lie!" Sakura shouted. "Now hand them over or we'll keep you tied here as long as it takes."

"You won't get away with it," Kakashi said darkly. "Iruka is always inside the sheriff house and he'll help me. Hey Iruka! Over here!"

Iruka's head popped out of the doorway. "Yes, Kakashi?"

"Give me a hand, will you?"

"No can do, sorry. You told me not to interfere."

"Well, things have changed. Hey! Don't just close the door like that! Iruka!"

Sasuke smirked. "See, Sheriff Kakashi? You're running out of options. Now tell us where the bells are."

"Well…The fact is, I threw them away in the middle of the desert," Kakashi admitted.

"You WHAAAT?" This time, all three of them screamed at once. If they were a chorus, Sasuke would be the baritone.

"Yes, I threw them into the sand. Now you'll just have to go through the entire desert, grain of sand by grain of sand, searching for it. And you have only about an hour left."

Sakura stared. "Are you kidding? Who would do something like that?"

"Rock Lee would, if he were here."

"WELL WE AREN'T ROCK LEE! BELIEVE IT!" shouted a furious blond. "I thought you actually wanted a deputy! Well if we're meant to fail the dumb test, I'll just find another way to protect Konoha Creek! I don't need to be a deputy to do that…I guess."

Sasuke sighed. "The job was promising, but I can do it by myself."

Sakura glared at Kakashi. Then, all three kids began to walk away.

Kakashi panicked. "Wait! You can still be deputies!"

They turned back.

"You all kind of failed the test…and you're kind of idiots, too…but the point was really teamwork. I wanted to see whether you could still work together, knowing one of you would be eliminated. Teamwork is essential to the life of a deputy. You have proved your abilities, and I would be glad to accept all of you. Iruka! The badges!" He called.

Iruka came out of the sheriff house carrying a box. He opened it and took out three badges. Stars with the letters S and D on the center. He ceremoniously pinned them on each of the kids.

Naruto stared at the pin now attached to his shirt pocket as if he could hardly believe it.

Sasuke tried to hide his excitement but the edge of his mouth kept on twitching.

Sakura stared at Iruka as if he was crazy.

"I'm not here to be a deputy," she said. She reached to unpin the badge on her shirt, but Sasuke stopped her.

He whispered in her ear, "Please stay. For me, Sakura. I need you." She looked into his dazzling black eyes and found herself nodding, putting her arm down. Sasuke meanwhile, was inwardly gloating. He knew that her blind loyalty to him would definitely come in handy someday, and besides…it turned out that she had actually made him look good.

"So, you can meet me here tomorrow for your first day on the job," Kakashi announced. "Oh, and from now on you can live in the sheriff house, if you want. Iruka and I live there already. It's customary."

Sasuke nodded and stalked off. He needed to get his things from the inn where he was currently staying.

Naruto raced off to tell his friends at the local bar the good news. Good in two ways: He had achieved a step towards his dream, and now he wouldn't have to live off their generosity any more.

Sakura hesitated. "Are you sure?"

Kakashi, once again, ignored her. So she also left.

Iruka was about to go too, when Kakashi called him back. "Iruka, could you untie me?"

"Oh! Of course," Iruka said, unknotting the rope from around the fence posts. "So, what do you think of them now?"

"Hn….I don't know…"

"They are qualified. You must understand that now, if you assigned them as deputies."

"Yes but…" Kakashi made a sad face. "They aren't Rock Lee. He knew how to treat a boss."

Iruka made an annoyed face. "Yeah, it always kind of annoyed me how much you overworked him. And he just let you. Don't take advantage of people like that!"

Kakashi punched Iruka and returned to reminiscing. "He used to be so respectful…always talking about the youthfulness of being a sheriff…and he called me Sheriff Hatake. Not Kakashi. Hatake." He sighed with nostalgia for something gone not a week.

"That kid. I wonder if he'll get into trouble. He's so gullible," Iruka grumbled, rubbing his head.

"Oh, he can take care of himself," Kakashi said confidently.

Little did he know that even now, young Rock Lee's life was in danger.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Naruto.

AN: Forgot to add a disclaimer last chapter, so I thought I'd add one now. Anyways, to continue the story...Please review when you're done if you like it.

The ground seemed to be blurring beneath Rock Lee's feet. Then again, it was just sand: not like individual grains of sand were likely to stand out anyways. Perhaps it was a little blurrier than it had been an hour or two ago. Or perhaps Rock Lee was being paranoid.

Heat also could be making the ground seem fuzzy, could be messing with his sight, not his head. It had only been a few hours since Rock Lee had started walking in the desert, and he had been keeping hydrated, so he was probably fine.

"You should stop now," said something in his head, some remnant of laziness imparted to him by Iruka. But he answered it, "No! I will not flinch from the trial of sand or sun! I will continue bravely onwards with the power of youth! And no matter the distance, I am certain that the next town will be reached soon, with more water and rest, a haven to the weary traveler. Besides I must not forget my goal, which is ultimately not to reach a town, but to discover myself and reinforce my own will! Thus I must face the desert's challenges like a man."

His feet were also sore. Perhaps he shouldn't have left his horse in the last town and decided to brave the desert on foot. But yesterday he had been getting a slight feeling of boredom, riding his horse over miles and miles of sand dunes, and Sheriff Hatake had always said, "If you're bored you aren't working hard enough. Get back to work."

And so, he had decided that, since walking across the desert would definitely be harder work, it was a good idea. And he had been right; he hadn't been bored at all. He had just gotten very tired…and hot…and thirsty. And a little dizzy. He wanted to just lie down on the sand and sleep a little while.

"No! I must journey on! Train endurance and heat resistance!" But the horizon line was wavering…

And what was that coming near him? A horse? Surely it was a mirage; the chances of two travelers meeting in the middle of the desert were extremely low. But it was steadily getting larger, and now he could make out a rider.

He heard a voice calling in the distance, "Who are you? Are you there?"

"I am Rock Lee, ex-Deputy of Konoha Creek!" He shouted back. "Who are you?"

The voice came more clearly now. "I am from Cactusville. Are you all right?"

His head was spinning and his throat hurt from yelling, but that was all right. Persevering was the most youthful option at the moment. "I'm…" He suddenly felt as if the earth was shaking under him. He barely kept his balance. He shut his eyes tight until it passed. "…fine."

"I'm not so sure of that. Wait, I'm coming over."

Rock Lee wanted to tell him that there was no need, but he couldn't speak or move. Everything looked black. In the distance, he could hear a voice yelling something at him, but it wasn't very important surely. And then it was gone.

Naruto and Sasuke showed up at the sheriff house at five to move in. Kakashi was strangely absent. Iruka was welcoming. He told them to put their bags in the corner ("You can unpack tomorrow") and showed them around. The sheriff house consisted of three rooms: the main room, a bathroom and the jail cells. Hardly roomy.

The main room seemed to be a combination of office, living room, and front door led into it, and a window offered a view of the yard. It contained the sheriff's desk, a small furnace/oven, a pair of hard bunk beds attached to the wall, a hammock hanging from the ceiling, and a flowerpot with a bonsai growing out of it on the windowsill. There was also a large chest that Iruka said held Kakashi's things, a small box that apparently held Iruka's things, a few guns hung up on the wall, and some random stacks of paperwork that extended a few feet from the floor. Integrated into the paperwork were Kakashi's favorite books. There was also a book case filled with Kakashi's other books and a dresser, also Kakashi's.

"Wow," Naruto said. "He sure does have a lot of stuff." It was at times like these that Iruka remembered that he was a poor and pitiful orphan, and took him out for lunch.

"He also has a shed behind the sheriff house, also filled with his stuff. I don't know what he keeps back there, but there's a lot of it."

Sasuke was not that impressed. His parents had been much richer than any two bit sheriff before they died. Sasuke had lived off their money for quite a while, but the fact is that bills add up over the years, and money just grows less and less when you don't have a job. These days, Sasuke was near penniless. Not that he would show anyone else that.

It was at this point that Kakashi arrived.

He nodded at Sasuke and Naruto. Then, turning to Iruka, he asked, "No Sakura?"

"Uh, Sakura lives with her parents. Besides, it's not like she could just move in with four men. It wouldn't be proper. She said she would be here bright and early tomorrow, though," Iruka said apologetically.

"Hmph. Very well. Now today we should celebrate Naruto and Sasuke joining the ranks, so-" He reached behind his back. "I brought this!" He dramatically flourished a bottle of whisky at the three deputies.

Sasuke wished it was wine.

Naruto shouted, "Awesome! I've never had a drink before."

Iruka glared at Kakashi. "They're only thirteen."

"Oh don't be a spoilsport, Iruka." Kakashi considered punching him, but he was in a good mood, so he held back. "Now, let's have dinner."

While Kakashi had been testing the candidates, Iruka had made cornbread and a fried chicken. This combined with whisky made for a very good dinner (although Kakashi insisted on facing away from them so that they couldn't see under his bandana). Naruto in particular was enjoying himself.

"Hey Iruka! You cook better than the people at the diner!"

"Thanks Naruto. Do you want me to teach you how? Since we're living together I could show you-"

"Iruka," Kakashi interrupted icily. "He's here to be a deputy sheriff, not to learn to cook. His time will be occupied with hunting down criminals-This land is infested with them by the way. I hope you two consider yourselves competent?" He raised an eyebrow.

"If I didn't think myself up to the job, I wouldn't have applied for it," Sasuke replied.

When the meal was over, Kakashi stood.

"Now it is time to discuss sleeping arrangements. We seem to be one bed short."

"Hn…That's true…" Iruka mused. "Two bunk beds, one hammock…And four of us."

"Well, I have to have a bed to myself, obviously, since I am the sheriff. So unless any of you want to sleep together…"

Iruka looked at Naruto. They already had a sort of a paternal relationship going, so Naruto might be able to put up with sleeping together. "We could share the hammock, Naruto," he said aloud.

"Cool!" Naruto yelled.

But the hammock was too small to contain them both. Actually, it was too small to contain Iruka at all. It used to be Rock Lee's which meant it was boy-size, not grown-man-size.

"You could sleep with Sasuke," the number one deputy suggested.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, shuddered, and shook their heads rapidly.

"I thought it would come down to this," Sheriff Kakashi sighed. "Well, I know where we can find another cot."

"Where?" All the deputies asked.

"A jail cell."

"But Kakashi!" Iruka protested. "You can't just take a cot out of a jail cell. They're fastened to the floor."

"Hmm, you're right. Very well then, since the cots are in the cells, and we can't take them out, one of you will just have to sleep in one of the cells. It can't be helped."

There was utter silence for a moment, as the deputies considered their options. One of them could just sleep on the floor, but that would be difficult. You would have to avoid all of the obstructing paperwork. Other than that, the only surface big enough to sleep on was the desk and Kakashi would never allow something like that. In the end, the question was merely who would be the one to sleep in the cell.

Iruka began, "I'll-"

"It has to be Sasuke," Kakashi stated.

The deputies collectively narrowed their eyes in puzzlement.

"Why me?" Sasuke asked.

"Because I don't like you."

When morning came, Kakashi was already gone. Rather a disappointment for Naruto and Sasuke, who had hoped to stop him from being late, since they were living together. Still, Iruka was home. They had biscuits for breakfast and Iruka told them that Kakashi would probably give them some training to do today, since there had been no recent bandit alerts. Then he sent them out to wait for Kakashi outside the house.

Sakura arrived a little later at nine. She was in a good mood.

"So, Sasuke, how did moving in go?" she inquired brightly.

Sasuke glared at her. Naruto said, "Don't mind him. He's just sore because he had to sleep in the cells."

"Eh? Sasuke, what happened?"

Stony-faced, Sasuke turned around and pointedly stared at the sheriff house wall.

Naruto laughed but opted not to give details because after all, if it hadn't been Sasuke it would have been him. And he was really kind of hoping that, since it looked like they were going to have a long wait ahead of them, Sasuke would actually stop being a depressed lump and associate with the humans.

His hopes were in vain, and three hours later, Kakashi found the deputies feeling very deserted. Well, Sasuke was anyways. Sakura and Naruto were now playing thumb war for the thirty-third time, with muttered curses and red faces. They had started out normally and then switched to a version that requires the person's thumb to be held down for twenty seconds instead of ten. Naruto saw this as a way to build thumb strength. Sakura, whose idea it was, saw it as a way to stop Naruto from winning so easily. And it had, indeed, helped. Since the addition of the rule, Sakura had won eight out of thirteen games.

"Ahem," said Kakashi.

He went unnoticed. So he turned to Sasuke. "How long has this been going on?"

"About half an hour," Sasuke grumbled. At first it had been fun to watch his peers battle it out, but it had grown boring. After twenty minutes he had even asked to join in, and been as completely ignored as Kakashi. Was his grip on Sakura slipping?

"Ahem!"

"GOTCHA!" Naruto shouted suddenly. "And that's twenty, I'm sure! Believe it!"

"Naruto, let go. You're crushing my thumb." Sakura tried to wiggle out, but the iron grip that had held her for twenty seconds was still in place. Then Naruto glanced at her apologetically and let go. She sighed and rubbed her thumb. "Oh look, Sheriff Kakashi is here."

Kakashi considered lowering the two louder deputies' salaries. Iruka probably wouldn't let him. Pity. "Are you ready for training?" he asked passively.

"Yes, sir!" said Naruto with a salute. Sakura blushed and nodded. Sasuke nodded once. Kakashi smiled, but no one could see it because of the bandana.

"Good, then follow me."

He led them to the stables. "I know you are good at horse riding. Choose a horse. We'll be going for a ride to our location."

The deputies-and-sheriff rode out into the desert until they came to a patch of twenty tall saguaro cacti. Here, Kakashi reigned in and dismounted.

"Now, I believe that you already possess adequate skill in roping and shooting?"

Sakura shook her head wildly, flipping pink hair into her face. Naruto nodded, then stopped and shook his head.

Sasuke said, "Yes."

"Good," said Kakashi. "Then our training can be a little more…unorthodox. None of that boring old target shooting; I hate that, don't you?" He paused. When no one answered, he said, "So instead we'll be climbing cacti. Or rather you will. I have business to attend to, so I will be back in an hour to see how high you have managed to climb. Good luck!" He waved cheerily, remounted, and rode away at a furious pace.

The kids tied their horses to a cactus. This done, they each chose a cactus and started to eye them speculatively.

Naruto immediately straddled the cactus and started to climb it like it was a pole, gritting his teeth as the spine sunk into his bare hands and tore at his shirt and pants. If he was going to become a good deputy, he was going to have to get used to pain, and he might as well start now.

Sakura winced as he continued his climb. There was already blood staining his hands, and dripping from some of the needles of the cactus. She glanced at Sasuke who didn't seem to care. How could he be so cold when their teammate was suffering? She called up to Naruto, "Naruto, take this!"

She tossed him two strips of leather. Naruto caught them with one hand while desperately clinging onto the cactus with his feet. "What's this for?" he shouted down.

"Wrap your hands in them! It should protect you from the spines!"

"Thanks."

"It's nothing." She always carried around some extra cloth and thread, in addition to a few other things, in case a woman's job needed to be done, if something needed patching or sewing. Well, the time had come (sort of) and Sakura Haruno had not disappointed. She beamed with pride.

But she still needed to climb up her cactus.

While she'd been occupied, Sasuke had brought two knives out from somewhere in his bulky belt, and now was using them to scale his cactus. It looked precarious, though. Chunks of cactus were being ripped out by his knife, and his balance wasn't the best. In fact, he looked like he could fall any minute.

"Are you all right, Sasuke?"

He didn't even answer.

Right. She needed to focus on her own climb. Well, she certainly wasn't going to do it like Naruto, and she didn't have any knives. But she did have rope. So she lassoed the top of the saguaro cactus. She then grabbed the rope and calmly walked up the side of the cactus.

Oh please, please, don't break, rope…

Rock Lee woke up in a bed, covered by a blue homespun blanket. His hat and pack, he soon discovered, were lying on the floor next to him.

Out the window, the sun was still up. No, wait. It had definitely been lower when he had…conked out, fallen asleep, fainted, given into weakness or whatever you might call it. It had been most unyouthful, but all that meant was that Rock Lee was going to have to work a lot harder now in his quest for youth, because youth also manifested itself in bodily strength.

So if the sun was higher in the sky than it had been before, did this mean that time had reversed itself? Perhaps space had even twisted itself to land him in a stranger's bed, earlier in the day than when he had left! For one could never quite rule out the impossible, no matter how tempting it was. Chance had a way of playing games with the naïve traveler. That was one reason one had to train harder, so that one could fight, yes and best, even chance itself. Nothing should stand between a man and his goal, not even a strange magic that turns back clocks!

"Good morning."

Rock Lee spun around to face a short girl with long, dark hair and nearly white irises. She smiled hesitantly.

"So, you are Rock Lee, of Konoha Creek?"

"Yes. And you, I suppose, are a fairy. It's very nice meeting you. I have always considered your kind to be very noble, and I did not expect to ever meet one. In fact, I was not quite sure you were real, until now. I hope you will forgive me for this unyouthful doubt!"

The girl had stopped smiling now. "I'm as human as you are. Where do you get such funny ideas?"

"Perhaps I am mistaken, but did you not do magic? I have been somehow transported to your house, you materialized behind me, and behold!" He thrust his hand out towards the window. "You have mysteriously altered time, and it is morning where it used to be evening!"

The girl giggled. "My father brought you here. That did not need magic. I walk quietly, and you were distracted. And it's morning because you slept all night!"

"What? But-but that means I have been unconscious for many hours! How weak of me! I shall do a hundred pushups in penance!" He dropped to the floor and immediately started doing the self-assigned punishment. The girl shrugged.

"Breakfast is in a few minutes. I was going to see if I could rouse you. We couldn't wake you, earlier."

Left alone, Lee finished his pushups and went downstairs to the dining room.

His host and rescuer was a man who also had white eyes and dark, long hair. His face was stern and to many it had been a deterrent. To Lee, however, it seemed to shine.

"Good sir! I thank you very humbly for taking me into your home and rescuing me from the dread danger of the desert! No doubt it slowed your journey across the desert and cost you valuable time. And yet you ceased your voyage merely to help a traveler with whom you had no connection except a few shouted words. Your kindness touches my heart. The flames of youth are in you!"

The man smiled almost imperceptibly. "Well now, no need to fall all over me. Eat now, and your journey will be easier when you leave. I hope you will have enough sense to bring a horse this time."

Lee agreed that it might be a good idea, and that he was not yet youthful enough to walk all the way across the desert. He then sat down to breakfast, and discussed with the man, the girl, and the man's wife the gossip from Konoha Creek. A quick eater, he was soon finished, and his mouth was left empty to discourse quite loudly on the value of youth.

The family didn't seem to mind. The man looked amused, the woman looked puzzled, and the girl seemed to be rather interested. She asked him several questions, which he answered with gusto.

Finally breakfast ended. Lee regretted this; the conversation had been good, but he should be on his way. He had to get a horse and some more supplies (he had run out of water) in town. He also wanted to explore a little. What good was a journey with no sightseeing?

The girl stopped him on the way out the door. She said, "So you're traveling around here, huh? Covering a lot of area?"

"Yes."

"Ummm…" the girl twisted her hands slightly. "Uh, could you give someone a message for me?"

"Of course! I will be pleased to assist such a lovely lady in any way!" Lee bowed.

The girl blushed. "Uh, it's for my sister. If you see her, could you ask her to come back? Father isn't about to apologize or anything but I miss her a lot. I think that she really should inherit the family business, but…"

"If you will pardon a mere stranger's curiosity, what is your honorable family's business?" Lee hadn't heard one mentioned at breakfast. The others had seemed all too willing merely to listen to him talk about youth.

"Well…." The girl hesitated. "It's kind of a secret, but I suppose I can trust you…"

"No! If it would mean betraying your family's secrets, I do not wish to know. That would be very unyouthful of me."

"All right then. Uhm, you'll recognize her if you see her: she has a short haircut with bangs and side bangs, eyes like mine, and tends to stutter. I'm not sure where she is: she ran away from home a while ago and we haven't heard from her. Her name is Hinata."

"Very well then. Do not fear, fair maiden. I, Rock Lee, will most definitely deliver this message! Or do a thousand pushups as compensation!"

"Good, then I'll see you again, I hope." The girl turned to go, but Lee stopped her.

"Wait, fair maiden, I still do not know your name."

The girl smiled. "Hanabi."

"Hanabi," Lee whispered as the girl left the room. "How youthful."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto.

AN: When I planned on writing this fic, I was mostly thinking about this chapter actually...Review if you like it.

Sakura perched on top of the cactus, sitting as still as possible so as not to fall. She was not particularly scared of heights but it would be hard for anyone to be comfortable sitting on top of a saguaro cactus. It was a forty foot tall spiked pillar, for goodness sakes. She half wanted to climb down and climb back up when Kakashi returned, but it had been even scarier climbing up than it was now. She had tied the rope around her waist and the other end was fastened to the top of the cactus, so if she fell she would be pulled up short, so at least she wasn't completely at risk.

Naruto and Sasuke seemed to be having more difficulty than her. They had fallen down several times and been forced to climb back up. At the moment, they were sprawled on the sand below her, breathing heavily from the impact. Sasuke had insulted Naruto on the idiocy of climbing a cactus without equipment to aid him. This had started a shouting match, ending with both boys being so distracted that they had fallen. Sakura didn't like to think badly of Sasuke, her beloved dark prince, but he had certainly been acting rather…immature. Perhaps Naruto annoyed him. He annoyed Sakura often enough.

As for Kakashi, she could see his horse coming from a distance and shouted to the boys to climb up their respective cacti, quick. They nodded and heaved themselves to their feet, Sasuke stumbling towards his cactus in a worrying manner.

"Sasuke! You're going to stick your face into the spines if you aren't careful!"

Sasuke opened his eyes wider. The spines were, indeed, about an inch from his face. He nodded to Sakura and dug his first knife into the now thoroughly butchered cactus flesh.

"Heh, Sasuke, you're so clumsy!" Naruto sneered. He was already a few yards up his cactus. For him, it got easier every time; each time, more spines broke off, burying themselves in his hands, where he painstakingly plucked them out later, his chaps, where he ignored them, or falling to the ground. By now, the cactus was starting to look almost smooth in spots.

Which, in Sasuke's opinion, gave him an unfair advantage. And anyways, "You've fallen just as many times as me. Idiot."

"Yeah, but I don't take damage like you do, Uchiha. My body's tough and it heals way fast! And you're lookin' kinda beat up. I can help you if you can't make it, you know."

Like an Uchiha would ever accept help from a moron like that! Sasuke smiled, now a little ways up his cactus. "I could climb Mount Everest right now without assistance."

"Mount Everest? Whazzat?"

Sasuke did not deign to reply, instead focusing on climbing. Wooziness was no excuse to lose to Naruto of all people. Although it was even more shameful that he'd lost to Sakura. Beaten by a girl! At least no one had seen it.

Or at least, no one had seen it until the sheriff rode up.

He was looking mighty cheerful, definitely not tired. Sasuke wondered wearily whether the sheriff ever did training like this himself, or if he just pushed it on his deputies. Maybe it was a test of their intelligence, and if they were smart they would refuse the instant they saw the saguaros.

"So, deputies!" Kakashi said. "Let's see how far you managed to get. Oh, good, looks like Sakura made it to the top. Good job, Sakura. You can come down now, and that's it for you today. I'll send for you next time I need you." He turned away from Sakura, now climbing down, to the boys. "But what's this? Only halfway up? For shame! And look at those scratches. Tut tut, this training isn't a mission. It was a non-combat situation and you guys managed to get injured anyways? You're never going to survive as a sheriff's deputy. Of course, I understand Sakura beating you. She is very capable." He turned back to Sakura with a wink. "But this is just incompetent. I'm taking your horses! Walk back to town and report to my office within the hour!"

He rode off, Maure and Sasuke's horse, Harley, in tow. Sakura's horse was still there. She looked up at the boys, now also climbing down.

"We could all ride my horse, together," she suggested. "Sheriff Kakashi left it behind. It would be slow, but…"

"No!" Naruto shook his head wildly. "You ride him, Sakura. It'll take too long and besides, Kakashi might get mad. Not just at us, at you too. Don't worry about us. We'll manage. Right Sasuke?"

Sasuke didn't answer.

"Right," Naruto continued. "So we'll see you in town later. Bye!"

Sakura shrugged and left.

Naruto grinned as he climbed the last couple feet. Riding a horse probably wasn't the best idea with prickles in his chaps. But he could still manage the long, hot walk. Sasuke, on the other hand…

It was about fifty-fifty whether he was going to collapse from exhaustion or not. Either way, Sasuke was in for pain and Naruto would be there to see it. So, despite strenuous exercise, it was a good day.

Meanwhile, Lee was beginning to get hungry. He had been looking for a cheap horse for hours. The thing was horses just don't come for five dollars, which was about all he had left from his savings. The sheriff had given him a bonus when he had left, and he had gotten all of seventy-five cents instead of the usual quarter, but it and the rest of his carefully hoarded wages from the past had been spent on food and boarding in the first couple days. Why was living so expensive? He had a feeling that all this worrying about money matters was detrimental to his youthfulness.

In his eyes, he should have been able to simply borrow a horse and pay the money back when he could. But unfortunately the horse seller did not agree. He looked at Rock Lee's now dirty green clothing, with the sweat and dust of travel, and at his five dollars, and shook his head soberly. "Sorry, kid, but I can't make investments that might not pay off."

"I will definitely pay you back! I vow this on my youth, and if I can't I will run five times across the desert and back!"

"And how will that bring me money?" The man cocked an eyebrow. "Come back if you can pay; otherwise, I can't sell you nothin'."

So Rock Lee left the horse seller's shop and set out across town. Somewhere in this town there had to be someone who would sell him a horse for five dollars or trade it for service. Until Lee found that person, he would keep on looking. But first he wanted dinner. The sun was nearing the horizon already, and to maintain his youthfulness he had to keep up his strength. Not to mention his hunger, of course.

The only food place in town was the saloon. Sheriff Hatake had always told him to stay clear of bars and alcohol, but it had never made much sense to Lee. After all, it was with Hatake that Lee had had his very first drink, so why had he changed his mind? In any case, Lee could either go to the bar or back to his saviors, and to ask for more food where they had already done so much for him seemed rude.

This was what brought Rock Lee to Westmoon Saloon at five in the afternoon that day. Neji would later say it was fate. Tenten would shrug and say that weird things happened when you were involved with Gai, and that was that. But Lee had no clue of this as yet. He was just looking for dinner.

He ordered a sandwich at the counter. It would bring him down ten cents, but if he couldn't get something for five dollars, ten cents probably wouldn't make a difference. Having finished his order, he glanced around.

There were tables around the edges of the saloon where men sat playing cards and drinking. Rock Lee almost decided to join a card game-taking chances was youthful and he needed money-when his eyes fell upon a familiar figure.

The man was a streak of green if you looked at him shortly, green shirt, green pants and darker green boots and belt. The green was only broken by his hat, a yellow straw sombrero with edges dyed red, blue, and yes, green. If you looked closer than the clothing, he had a body chiseled from hard training, a bowl cut of black hair, and a completely sincere and resolute face. Since he sat with his back to Lee, his face was hidden now, but Lee knew him well.

He had come more than once to Konoha Creek, where he had challenged Sheriff Hatake. According to him, the sheriff was his eternal rival. Lee had always admired his style, his enthusiasm for youthfulness, his inner fire. All in all, Lee always kind of wished he could know him better, maybe could have him as his mentor. For Lee, he was an inspiration, with his self discipline and the way he worked himself to exhaustion. But he was also a temptation, a man who showed the attraction of evil, lawless ways, a man whose charisma could destroy Lee's morals if he wasn't careful. Because Maito Gai was an outlaw. And Lee couldn't help admiring him anyways.

Talking to Gai, while tempting, was probably a bad idea. Kakashi had given him a list once, of people to stay away from because they were a bad influence. The list included Gai, in addition to quite a few others. So Lee sat on the barstool, trying to look inconspicuous.

He had just received his sandwich when a heavy hand clapped down on his back.

"I know you, boy! You are the deputy and assistant of my eternal rival, the hip sheriff Kakashi Hatake!" Gai bent down, thrusting his head closer to Lee's. "No doubt," he said, stroking his chin like there was a beard there, "you are here on a mission to apprehend me! Well, you will not find it easy, my boy, not by a long shot. You may be younger than I am, but I still have more YOUTH!"

Lee narrowed his eyes and leapt to his feet. "Fiend! You lost your claim to youth when you became an outlaw, and forsook the paths of youth and justice! I had not come to apprehend you, but since I find you here, I cannot ignore my duty to bring you to the judgment of the law!" He assumed a fighting pose.

Gai was puzzled. "But, assistant of my rival, if you come not for my arrest, then what are you doing so far from Konoha Creek? I thought Hatake always had you by his side."

"Yes, but, although I was sorry to leave him," Lee paused. He had been sad to leave Sheriff Hatake. He had spent an entire night crying with Iruka and Kakashi, while Kakashi had gotten very drunk and Iruka had consoled him as much as he could. Ah, to see his companions again! But that must wait. "I left on a journey of youth and self discovery, and the path led me here."

Tears were coming to Gai's eyes. "My boy, you may not be as youthful as me, but the flames of youth are within you. To see such spirit in one so inexperienced…" Gai sighed long and gustily. "A drink!" He shouted. "A shot of whiskey for my friend! For he is one of the most youthful people in the WEST!"

The bartender hurried to comply, pouring out a glass of whiskey and putting it in front of Lee.

Lee hesitated.

"The sheriff told me I should not drink. Besides," he added. "Aren't we going to fight?"

Gai shrugged dismissively. "That can wait. Youth like yours and mine needs to be celebrated. It needs to be drunk to. So, let us drink!" He downed his own glass, chugging until there was not a drop left to be seen in it. In one fell swig.

Rock Lee wanted to abide by his sheriff's warnings, oh yes he did. But Gai could drink that much in one gulp, and that was definitely a challenge. How could he refuse a challenge from his mentor's eternal rival?

He lifted the glass high, over his head even, swung it down to his lips, and chugged.

The taste was peculiar, but Lee didn't really notice. This was for honor, not pleasure, after all. Still, he couldn't avoid noticing the fuzzy feeling in his head. Actually, it felt kind of good. He wanted more.

And look, there was a glass of it sitting right next to him on the bar. He grabbed it.

"Hey," a man protested. "Hey, give that back! That's mine!"

Lee smiled fuzzily. The man really needed to relax. "'S'okay," he slurred. And he gulped the glass down.

"It's okay, huh?" the man's eyes narrowed. "You rotten brat! I'll teach you to go drinking my whiskey." He reached into his belt. Lee's eyes traveled to his hand. A gun.

"Hey man, that's not very youthfulllll…." Lee grabbed the man's arm. "Shootin' a man in cold blood. That ain't youthful at all. It ain't even leeeegaaallll. In fact, it's pretty bad." He yanked the man's arm away and grabbed the gun, then tossed it aside. "But if ya wanna face me fairly…." He rocked back slightly. Let go of the arm. Leaned casually against his own stool. "Go right ahead."

"You dirty-" the man lunged forward, aiming to hit Lee in the nose. Lee swung aside, and then punched him in the stomach. The man fell to the floor. Lee stepped back (it's unyouthful to hit an opponent when he's down) and waited, but not for long. The man leapt back up and attacked. Now he was really mad, but it just seemed to make him more inept. It only took Lee two more punches to bring him down. And that could've been it, but his last punch sent the man flying onto another man, this one taller and bearded, knocking his glass over. It spilled on his vest, leaving only a little in the cup.

"Hey! You lookin' for a fight, mister?"

And for once in his life, Lee was. This man took a bit longer. Lee punched him into a table where men were playing cards. Oops. Cards flew everywhere. Five more men joined the fight. Lee was starting to have difficulties fending them all off.

Gai jumped off a barstool and kicked one of the men in the head. "Five on one? That's outright unyouthful!" He cried. "Let's make this a fair fight."

One thing led to another. Tables were overturned. Glasses and bottles were broken, and the broken glass strewed on the floor made the fight more dangerous. Cowboys and villagers alike joined what was rapidly becoming a brawl. People who were hit in the melee. People whose quiet drinking had been interrupted and felt a teensy bit irritable. People who just felt like hitting someone over the head with a chair. You don't need much of an excuse to join a bar fight in Cactusville.

Bystanders hid behind the bar and drank with the bartender, making bets on who would remain standing the longest. No one bet on Lee because he was dead drunk, but a few bet on Gai.

In the end, it all came down to those two. Blood on their clothes and staining their fists. Broken furniture lay splintered on the floor. Sharp edges of glass, but not sharp enough to pierce their boots. They still stood in fighting stances. Their blood felt hot, or maybe that was adrenaline. Pain all over, but for them that had been fun, and neither of them was ready to stop.

"Let's settle this, Gaaiiiiii…." Lee's voice trailed off. His already squinting eyes widened, then dropped closed, and he toppled over like a card tower blown by the wind.

Gai picked him up. "Lee? Lee?" He shook him lightly. Best not to hurt him after that fight. He took his pulse, which was normal as far as he could tell. Just drunk? Flames of youth, the boy had put on a show, but he could see why Kakashi didn't like him drinking.

The bystanders who had bet on Gai were collecting the money owed them. A few bought a last drink, and walked away. Gai, done with his own drinking, was about to follow when the bartender called him over.

"I expect you to pay for damages, sir. After all, you started the fight."

"No, that was this guy. I mean, I'd be willing to pay for the damages; to do otherwise would be unyouthful, but he was the one who threw the first punch…Well, the first punch that connected…"

"Yes, but you're his pa, so you'll have to pay for it. I'm sorry, but it's a lot of money and kids don't have that much."

Gai blinked. "His pa?"

The bartender nodded.

"I mean, of course I'm his pa. Your eyes must be quite good to note such a thing. Yes. His pa, or otherwise called his father. Therefore I will take him with me. There is nothing off about that and it is obviously not kidnapping, which would be illegal and probably unyouthful since he's not awake to put up a fight, because I'm his father."

"Uh, yeah. The money?"

Gai paid for it easily. Well, not easily; it was expensive, but he was an outlaw. He could just rob a coach or a bank and get the money back.

He slung Lee over his shoulder and headed for his hideout.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, never have, and probably never will.

AN: Writing action is hard for me. So I tried an actiony scene this chapter, but it may not have worked, so if you could review and let me know, it would be nice.

The next day a stout man with a ragged grey beard and glasses came to the sheriff's house. He banged on the door twice. Nobody heard him inside, because Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were in the middle of a heated argument, with Kakashi enjoying the show and Iruka trying to break it up.

"Sasuke, it took you eight tries to get even halfway up that cactus! Don't you dare act better 'cause that's all it is, an act! And it isn't even very good! You need to work on your acting skills."

"Burn," Kakashi whispered. But a little overdone, maybe.

"Well, Naruto, at least I didn't get as scratched up as if I'd been in a fight in the first five minutes."

"Yeah, but you did later! So in the end it didn't make any difference! You were just trying to spare yourself, and it failed. Real men can take some pain."

"Smart men know how to avoid pain."

"So then, since I was the only one to really avoid pain…Are you calling me smart, Sasuke? Or at least smarter than Naruto?" Sakura would ignore the whole manliness part of it; it sounded like Sasuke had just complimented her! But from the look on his face, maybe not?

The boys both turned to Sakura, looking sulky. "This is a private feud, Sakura," Naruto said in what he hoped was a gently discouraging voice. Sasuke nodded.

Sakura was officially annoyed. "Well, can I buy tickets? Because it gets pretty dull just watching you two taking cheap shots at each other."

"Ooooohhh…" Kakashi sighed. "That put down was beautiful." Sakura had some of the subtlety that his other two deputies lacked. A woman's wit, he supposed.

At this point the man just came in.

"Hey you brats! Quiet down, I'm here to talk to the sheriff."

If it had been Sasuke, Naruto would have laughed, and Sasuke would have glared, and Sakura would have quietly fumed. If it had been Naruto, Sasuke would have smiled very slightly, Naruto would have gone off on a rant, and Sakura would have hit him to shut him up. But no. The man had interrupted Sakura, and in doing so had called her as well as Sasuke and Naruto a brat.

Sasuke glared a minor glare. Sakura and Naruto shouted at the same time, "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, HUH?"

"My name's Tazuna, and I'm a lot older than either of you kids. So settle down, I have business."

Naruto gritted his teeth, Sasuke's eyes narrowed and Sakura turned bright red, but before they could do anything, Kakashi stepped in front of them. "How can I help you?" he asked.

Behind his back, the deputies shared a look. Tazuna would pay for the insult to Sakura. Even Iruka nodded as Tazuna began to speak.

"I want to place myself under your protection, mister…."

"Hatake." The sheriff supplied. "Go on."

"I have reason to believe that my life may be in danger. Some men are trying to kill me. I need you to ensure that they won't succeed." Tazuna's face was flushed and sweaty. "I will pay you well. Please!"

Kakashi tipped his head back. "Mister, I don't know what your deal is, but it doesn't quite work that way. See, I'm a sheriff. I protect everyone in this town and catch the local criminals. That's my job. Now you will receive exactly as much protection as anyone else. If someone comes after you, they will be stopped. The same goes for anyone attacking any citizen of Konoha Creek." He paused and smiled under his bandana, remembering good times. "We don't like bad guys very much round here, particularly not killers." He stepped back a bit and brought his head down. The role of dutiful sheriff had been played and played artfully; now to get professional. "However I always accept any money offered. Really. Now tell me about these people who are after you."

Tazuna looked a little bit more nervous now. "Um, I think this guy is going to hire killers…"

"Who? And why?"

"Uh, I am a prospector, see? And I've been excavating on a mountain just a few towns away. Been working there for several years now. But just the other week, I struck gold. I thought it was good, and I'd finally be rich. But I was wrong. A few days later, these men showed up and started threatening me, asking for me to give them ownership of the mine. But I refused. The mine was mine by right and I had worked hard for it. Then they said they would kill me and my family and take it anyways if I didn't agree to it next time they came. So I didn't wait until then. I came here. Please help! If I die, my daughter and grandson will have no one to provide for them and they will starve to death cursing your name forever." The last few sentences were said in a rush, ending with Tazuna staring at Kakashi pitifully.

Naruto would never have believed someone that old could make puppy eyes, but it seemed to work for Tazuna.

Kakashi sighed. "Why did you come here?"

"Konoha Creek is legendary for its brave, strong sheriffs and mayors. I knew you would be able to protect me, and you wouldn't turn me down."

The sheriff scratched his neck. It looked like the next few weeks were going to get interesting, if what Tazuna said was true. The last time he'd gotten into a good fight was with Gai, and while exhilarating, he knew Gai wouldn't seriously harm someone, at least not on purpose. And that had really been on Gai's terms. Gai turned up at random times, committing crimes that forced Kakashi to face off with him. Ever since proclaiming Kakashi his eternal rival, he had become a pain in the neck. Still, it had been a break from boredom. Strong outlaws, other than Gai, had not been showing up recently. They seemed to stay away because of his reputation. A good outlaw is clever and knows to avoid situations where he might get caught.

So it had been a while since Kakashi had had to apprehend a killer. Heh, it would be a challenge for the deputies, anyways.

Tazuna was still expecting an answer.

"As long as you are in Konoha Creek, you are under my protection as sheriff."

Tazuna visibly sagged with relief. "I'll be staying in the Ichiraku Inn," he said, and left.

As soon as he left, Naruto turned to Kakashi. "He insulted Sakura!" He nearly shouted, slightly hushing himself so that Tazuna, probably still nearby, wouldn't hear.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "So is that the cause of all that outrage? He insulted the two of you, too, you know."

"Yes, but…." Naruto wasn't sure why, but there was a difference, in his mind at least.

"Everyone does that, because Naruto is an idiot," Sasuke stated calmly. Well, it was a fact, after all.

"Yeah! And Sasuke is a rude, icy creep who deserves every insult he gets!"

Sasuke glared at Naruto, but not too hard. It had needed to be said to answer Kakashi's question, but he couldn't have said it, just as Naruto couldn't have called himself an idiot. He had expected it so it didn't really matter. Besides, "We can take criticism, is the point. But Sakura is a girl."

"Hey! I can take an insult like anyone else!" Sakura complained.

Naruto and Sasuke both glanced over and said, "You stay out of this."

Sakura huffed.

Iruka patted her shoulder gently. "We just want to defend your honor, Sakura. After all, you are the girl of this team, and it's up to us to stand up for you."

Sakura was going to say that she could defend her own honor, thank you very much. But then she realized…Sasuke wanted to stand up for her? Not just Naruto (adorable sometimes but a loser) or Iruka (the responsible adult whose job it was to do stuff like that), but Sasuke?

Sakura decided not to complain.

"So we have to get elaborate revenge," Naruto said eagerly.

"No."

"Why?"

"I said we would protect him. Weren't you listening? You'll never get far as my deputy if you don't listen. He asked for the protection of the law, so he'll receive it."

Naruto pouted. Sasuke, who had been more or less behind the plan of revenge, sulked. Revenge was always a good idea. And anyways, Sakura was Sasuke's fangirl. In some way, she belonged to him. And he didn't like his belongings being insulted.

Naruto got bored of pouting about ten minutes later. So he asked Kakashi, "Is Konoha Creek really legendary?"

Kakashi stroked his bandana meditatively. "Welllll….We do usually have strong sheriffs and mayors. But you already knew that, right?"

Naruto grinned. "Of course! I have to become strong so I can become one, but I will succeed! Believe it!"

"Do you know why?"

Naruto had to think about this one. He looked at Iruka for help, but Iruka was talking to Sakura. So he guessed, "There are a lot of people aiming at the role, right? And only the strongest are chosen."

"WRONG." Kakashi shook his head slowly and solemnly. "Not a lot of people want to take on the role, for the same reason that all of the applicants are strong."

Sasuke sighed. "And that is what?" The conversation had gotten interesting, and while the Uchiha could sulk potentially for a very long time, that wouldn't accomplish anything.

"Outlaws."

Naruto gasped dramatically. It seemed like the thing to do.

Kakashi continued, "Every time Konoha Creek gets a sheriff or a mayor for that matter, the first thing the outlaws try to do is run them out of town. And if they get through that, they still have to deal with outlaws committing crimes all over the area."

Sasuke nodded. "That's why you have four deputies instead of just one. Because of the workload."

"No, that was just Iruka being stupid."

Gai reached his first difficulty when he reached his horse.

His one single horse. Not his horses. And Lee would probably need a horse. For a moment Gai considered draping Lee over the back of his saddle, but it was possible he would fall off. Or he could put him in front of himself on the horse, but that would be awkward. Besides, he needed to spare his horse. It was a very youthful horse, but as an animal its youthfulness had limits, and it did not like to carry more than one person at once.

So he walked to the nearest horse dealer.

"Sir, I would advise you to lift your hands away from your gun belt, for I have my revolver's eye trained on your heart," Gai proclaimed, flourishing his pistol in wide, threatening gestures, ending with it pointed at the horse dealer. The dealer turned pale.

"Gai?"

Gai nodded.

"The Green Beast of the Prairies?"

Gai spread his lips apart in his trademark smile. His teeth glinted. "The very same! My reputation precedes me, I observe. Then, sir, I desire your finest steed immediately."

"A-all right," the dealer agreed.

So now, Gai was riding towards his hideout, which was hidden in the mountains. Lee was tied to the horse stolen from the town, and the horse was attached by a lead to Gai's own horse.

Lee stirred restlessly every once in a while, but did not fully come awake until about midnight, when the sky was lit by nothing but the stars. They were brilliant, but did not do a very good job of lighting the pathway or Lee and his horse. Gai would not have realized he had woken up if not for a sudden declaration.

"Brigand! I know not who you are, for my eyes cannot pierce this concealing darkness, but untie me from this stallion! If you do not, the darkness shall not protect you! Kidnapping is a crime, and I shall see justice administered against you! This I vow by my youth!"

Gai pulled the horse until it was in step with his own. This accomplished, he proclaimed, "It is I, Maito Gai, the Green Beast! Your threats mean nothing to me, for my youth shall protect me in ways that the darkness cannot! Do not seek to escape, for I shall hunt you down!"

Lee was silent for a moment. Gai wished he could see the youngster's face. He had such profound expressions for one of his age. Gai had seen him more than once with his eyebrows screwed down in concentration, his eyes widened, and his jaw set firmly, wearing the face of a warrior. It was at times like these that Gai remembered that while youth was often wasted on the young, there were rare cases who utilized the power of their youth to their utmost ability. He himself had not learned of the ways of youth until he was in his late teens. Ah, how rare and how lucky the man who realized it naturally! Gai would have been envious except for the fact that, these days at least, he was secure in his own youth.

Lee spoke again. "So it is you, fiend?" he murmured. "I might have known you would be my downfall. What do you want with me?"

Gai did not really want to get into specifics at this time of night, particularly without the company of Tenten and Neji, his loyal companions. So he merely replied, "All shall be made clear when we get there."

"There?" Lee's voice started to sound a bit panicked. "Where is there? Where are you taking me, you fiend?"

Gai grinned wickedly. Even in the dark, his teeth still glinted a little. "I am transporting you to my hideout. It is in the cliffs, and well hidden. Never has man been able to find it unguided by me or one of my cohorts."

There was a pause, an unrestful silence. Then Lee's voice, loud and clear. "No matter how well it is hidden, it cannot escape the eagle eyes of Sheriff Hatake. He will find me and rescue me, and you will be put in jail as you deserve!"

"Hatake is indeed a formidable enemy and a fine sheriff. He is a worthy rival. But I do not think he will come for you. He will not even know you are missing. After all, you are on a voyage."

Lee shouted, "Do not underestimate Sheriff Hatake! He will definitely come, and you will pay for this wicked scheme!"

"Then I will be ready and defeat him once and for all!" Now Gai was yelling too. "He may be a strong opponent, but he does not have YOUTH!"

There was a deathly silence. Gai knew that he had hit a sore spot. It was one of Kakashi's greatest weaknesses, his lack of youth. He shouldn't have gotten so into the argument. The young deputy was youthful, but still unformed and fragile, as the bar fight incident proved. His hopes would be shattered, his spirit broken, and he would be terrified of Gai. This wasn't what Gai wanted to happen. He did not want to hurt Lee. But he couldn't take back his words, for they were true.

And then, quietly, "Perhaps not. But he has me. I am his youth, his enthusiasm, and his strength. I am his deputy. And I will not submit to the likes of you."

Gai found this so inspiring that he broke into tears. "Lee, you're so youthfulllll!" He wailed.

"A pity I can't return the compliment," Lee responded.

Gai frowned, puzzled. One minute Lee could be as youthful as his father and the next as cool and sarcastic as his mentor, Kakashi Hatake. And what he said puzzled Gai even more. "In what way have I deviated from the paths of youth?"

"Kidnapping me while I was unconscious. If I was awake, it would still be illegal but it would be my fault for not defending myself properly. But attacking me while I was defenseless…that's just low!" And Gai should be as averse to doing something like that as Lee himself….so perhaps he could be persuaded to let Lee go.

Gai shrugged. "It's true, but I can always do laps to make up for it."

Lee sighed in defeat.

Kakashi was off on yet another break. Iruka, Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke were all sitting around on the sheriff room floor playing poker. Naruto couldn't bluff, Sasuke didn't take enough risks, and Iruka was all too ready to let the others win, so Sakura was mostly winning. Of course, there wasn't any money to win: Iruka had long ago used up his twenty five cents, and Naruto and Sasuke had never had money to begin with, but Sakura still enjoyed it.

And so they were all having a pretty good time when the door was kicked open.

Sasuke and Iruka were on their feet in instants, their cards still in their hands. Sakura instinctively lunged out of sight behind the sheriff's table, and Naruto was pretty much frozen. In the doorway were two men. Bandanas covered their mouths, but their eyes were bloodshot, and each of them was holding a gun.

And now Iruka and Sasuke were frozen too.

"Drop your gun belts on the floor!" One of them shouted. "We're the demon brothers, so don't even think of messing with us! A half rate lot like you couldn't even come close to taking us on."

Iruka unbuckled his belt and dropped it without touching the gun. Sasuke hesitated.

"Sasuke, you have to do it. These guys are dangerous. I recognize them from the Wanted posters-That one's Gozu: the other one's Meizu. They've killed more than one person before."

He reluctantly followed Iruka's example. Still, parting from that brand new gun was just painful. Hopefully this didn't happen too often in this business.

"Now kick them over here," Meizu commanded. They did, and he grabbed the belts as they came.

"Hey, what about you, kid?" Gozu bellowed at Naruto. Naruto looked up, clearly nervous.

"Me?"

"Yeah you. Send your belt over, kid, and you better not try anything or I'll blow your brains out!"

Naruto had gone through the stages of shock, a rare emotion, and terror, an emotion he'd almost never had, to a more familiar emotion. Annoyance. Honestly, this was unnecessary. "I don't even have a gun."

"Liar. All sheriffs give their deputies guns. It's rule number one. Otherwise they're completely useless."

Naruto was now really, really, really annoyed. But not at Gozu or Meizu. "KAKASHI! WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME!?" He yelled at the ceiling. Meizu frowned and stepped forward.

"Hey, I may not have mentioned this earlier, kid, but don't make too much sound. We don't want to attract attention," he settled his gun's barrel on Naruto's temple. "…Do we?"

Naruto thought that yes, they did, but settled for mumbling, "Kakashiiii…." in an angry voice. Not giving him a gun, underpaying him, and now deserting them when they needed him most. As a sheriff, he was awful.

"Right, then, down to business," Meizu said, standing up but not moving his gun from Naruto's head. "Can any of you tell me where-"

It was at this point that Sakura opened fire.

Kneeling quietly behind Kakashi's desk, Sakura had realized the advantage she had. The criminals probably didn't even know she was there, since she had hidden as soon as they had burst in. And they were distracted by the others. They wouldn't notice a little movement.

Sakura knew Kakashi kept a gun in his drawer. She had seen him put one in there before going out on his bar break, after Iruka had told him that two guns was plenty for walking around town and five was overdoing it. The only problem was that the bandits would hear her opening the drawer.

And then Naruto started screaming.

Problem solved.

It took her a second to take the gun out and another second to load it. But when that was done, she didn't waste a second in shooting the Demon Brothers down. Well, not actually shooting them down, because the shots were missing and anyways she couldn't just shoot people with their backs turned…But close enough.

Gozu cursed and dodged out the door, slamming it behind him. Meizu froze for a second, then grabbed Iruka and pulled the man in front of him as a shield. Slamming his gunpoint on the side of Iruka's head, he shouted, "Cease fire or he dies!"

Sakura stopped.

"Drop the gun and come out with your hands over your head!"

Sakura slowly stood up. The desk was tall and only her head and upper chest came over it, but that was enough for him to shoot her dead. She shook, just a little. No one noticed except Sasuke, who was closer to the table than the others. He wished he could just go over and tell her it would be okay. But he didn't think Meizu would be good with that.

Meizu's tone was amused. "Another deputy? At least this one has a gun and knows how to use it. So you did something right, sheriff."

He was looking at Iruka. Iruka was confused.

"Sheriff? Me? I'm just another deputy." Well, the #1 deputy, but still not a sheriff.

"What? But then, where's the sheriff?"

"Right behind you," said a voice muffled by a bandana.

Meizu slowly turned his head towards the door, where Gozu was standing with his hands up. And behind him, a man with silver hair, a bandana over his face, and a gun in each hand: one trained on Gozu, and one on Meizu.

"Now if you'd drop that, we could do this without more unnecessary violence," the sheriff said blandly.

Meizu gritted his teeth at the sheriff's condescension. "I don't think so. I still have a hostage. You won't shoot me when I can kill him."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't I?"

Iruka trembled.

Meizu hesitated.

Naruto lunged forward, grabbed Meizu's legs and knocked him over. Sasuke leaped forward to grab the fallen gun and thrust it against Meizu's back.

Kakashi shoved Gozu forward nonchalantly. "That's a wrap, I think. Now let's get these two into some cells."

Iruka, who had also been knocked to his knees, stood and grabbed Meizu's wrists, holding them behind his back. "Some handcuffs, Sakura?" He asked, looking up. "They should be in the second drawer down."

"Uh huh." Sakura brought out two pairs. She tossed one to Sheriff Kakashi, who caught it after sliding one gun into its holster on his belt. The other she brought over to Iruka, and with his permission she carefully snapped them onto Meizu's wrists. There! Her first arrest as deputy! Well, kind of, if the putting on of handcuffs counted as the arresting part, which it probably didn't, but close enough.

She glanced over at Sasuke, who was handing Iruka's gun back to him now, and picking up his own gun belt from the floor. She stepped over and tapped him on the shoulder, wanting to tell him that she thought he did well, following Naruto's lead like that, and she thought they worked well as a team.

"Wait a second!" Iruka shouted. "Kakashi, you were about to let him shoot me!"

That was true. Four pairs of accusatory eyes settled on the sheriff, and two pairs of curious eyes from the bandits.

Kakashi felt a bead of sweat slide down his nose to where it would probably stain his bandana. "That was a bluff, Iruka."

Iruka cocked an eyebrow.

"I would never let you get shot,"

"Oh, wouldn't you?" Iruka mimicked with a huff.

"Of course not. Iruka you're my best friend," Kakashi said soothingly. "You're the best deputy I've ever had, been with me for five years now."

Iruka was still not convinced, but there was work to be done and no time to quarrel. So he just shrugged to show his annoyance and dragged Meizu over to the cells. He locked him in the cell farthest from Sasuke's sleeping quarters, and Gozu was soon locked up next to him.

"So," Kakashi announced cheerfully. "Time for interrogation. What were you two doing, attacking my dear deputies whom I would never allow to get shot by the likes of you?"

Maybe he was overdoing it, because Iruka shot him a glare.

Naruto hmphed. "If you don't want us to get shot, maybe you shouldn't wander off and desert us all the time."

Sakura agreed, but Sasuke was keeping quiet and just staring at the bandits, so she followed suit.

Kakashi sighed. "You're always so impatient. I didn't know you were going to be attacked; how could I? I was out talking to Tazuna. Protecting him." At a bar. Hey, bars were dangerous. Kakashi should know. He had taken Rock Lee out for his first drink. The brawl that had ensued had been one of the more dangerous experiences of his life. Not to mention the damages that the bartender had expected Kakashi to pay for…It was because of these damages that the sheriff had been forced to lower his deputies' salaries in the first place.

Meizu and Gozu still hadn't answered his questions. They were pretty much glowering in the corners of their respective cells. Kakashi wasn't sure how much he'd be able to get out of them, but he had to try.

For the next half hour, he asked questions. Why had they attacked? What had they hoped to gain? Did they have a grudge against Konoha, its sheriffs or its citizens? Why had they attacked? Where were they from? Did someone send them? Why had they attacked?

The demon brothers were keeping pretty quiet. Eventually, Kakashi gave up and called for a dinner break.

"Well, my new deputies," he said in a cheery voice as Iruka served everyone baked beans. "You've had your first taste of a sheriff's duties. Of course, we usually have to hunt down criminals instead of them coming to us, but you get the gist. Sakura! Nice work on that attack. And Naruto, good job grabbing the guy's legs. It could have gotten very sticky if you hadn't. I hate hostage situations."

"Sheriff, I think I may know why they came," Sasuke interrupted.

Kakashi glanced over at him. "Oh? Why's that?"

"Tazuna. When you mentioned him in the jail cells, they looked very interested. And before Sakura started shooting, they were asking where someone was. My guess is they were sent to find-and maybe kill-Tazuna."

Kakashi readjusted his hat contemplatively. Sasuke held his breath. He may have been somewhat useless in the confrontation earlier, but if he was right about this then it would make up for his inaction. Kakashi would be pleased. Sakura would be impressed. And he would regain a little pride.

"Hmm…You may be right, Sasuke. You may be right."

AN: Once again...Review. Pleeeeeeasssseeeee.


	5. Chapter 5

AN:This chapter is slightly shorter, but I felt it should stand as it is. Lee needs his own chapter.

Gai arrived at his hideout about an hour before Tazuna came to the sheriff house. The sun had risen while Lee was still awake, and he had, as usual, been absolutely awed at the beauty of it. It brought to mind the old days, when the sheriff would send him out to do chores before dawn and he would be able to see the sun come up while he worked. As time passed, he could do the chores more quickly, but he still got up early just so he could see the first light's majesty. Then he would spend the rest of the time doing training.

But the sky was well lit when they came to the mountain, and Lee stared up at it, searching for the hideout he knew was there. He saw nothing. But then, he had never been the best spotter. Sheriff Hatake was much better than him, to the point that his shooting was legendary, and would probably be able to find the hideout if he was here. Which was good, because he was still counting on Hatake to rescue him. Hopefully soon.

Gai knew of a path up the rocky slopes that was easier for the horses than most, but Lee's horse was still having difficulties. It was becoming a little scary, not being in control of his own actions, having to depend on a horse like this that he couldn't even steer. Still, he would endure it as youthfully as he could under the circumstances.

It turned out that Gai's hideout, when they reached it, was not a house but a cave. The entrance was about as wide as three men, no wider. Gai tied the horse to a nearby tree and untied Lee from his horse.

This was the moment Lee had been waiting for. The instant he was off the horse, he spun towards Gai, and pushing off the horse, leapt into the air. When he was at the proper height, he kicked Gai in the face. "YOUTH!" He yelled.

Gai reacted instantly. Throughout the ride, he had seen the tension building up in Lee, and known he was preparing himself for something. It had been a tossup whether he was planning to run away or attack. So he had chosen to attack, hm? Well, Gai respected that; it was certainly youthful. Not a halfhearted attack either. Lee kicked out at him again and again, and twisted his body to avoid Gai's attempts to grab him again or knock him down so that he would be easier to subdue. All this with his hands still tied, for although Gai had gotten him off the horse, he had not been fully freed.

Still, Gai had longer legs than Lee did, and after a few unsuccessful kicks, one finally hit Lee in the chest. He fell to the ground, but instead of struggling to his feet or giving up, he started rolling. And he was only a couple yards from where the path took on a steep slope, which continued for a good ways down the mountain.

Gai lunged forward, desperate to catch Lee before he reached the incline, but was seconds late. He landed on Lee just as he started to gain momentum. And so, the man in green and the boy in green, wrapped together, rolled down the bumpy slope together.

Lee felt as if he was watching himself. He had felt this way before, sometimes, in the middle of a confrontation or strenuous exercise, when he was exhausted and losing his energy. His body would still follow his commands, but it felt as if it wasn't really him taking action. It was some autopilot system that he had built up through hours of training, reactions hammered into him by repetition. And so now he watched himself shout at Gai, insults and challenges, while he was much more focused on other things. Like the fact that he was tumbling down a slope way too fast to possibly be safe. He hit rocks, roots and other objects like speed bumps; he had a feeling they would hurt a lot more if he hadn't gone over them so quickly. As it was, they would definitely leave marks. That and Gai's iron grip. It was like a bear hug, except harder and more painful, and the fact that even now, at this speed, he was still trying to wriggle out of it.

Then Gai's legs hit a tree. The impact tore the pair apart. Lee lost sight of Gai in instants. Couldn't really think much about it either, since the ground was too bumpy and he kept on having to swerve to miss trees and stumps himself. One narrowly missed his head, and he lost his hat. Randomly he wondered what his hair would look like after this. Of course, after the brawl it was probably already messed up, but he hadn't seen it since he had left Hanabi's house.

He didn't see the stump coming-had closed his eyes a while ago to avoid getting dirt in them or having them scratched out. He regretted it when the aforementioned stump slammed into his stomach, pulling his entire body into a stop.

Well, that hurt. Didn't matter. Youth must be stronger than pain. At least there was one good thing-all the rolling had loosened the ropes up enough that now he could slip himself out of them fairly easily. Lee pulled himself up on his feet, and looked around him. Gai was still rolling down the hill, with his knees pulled up to his chest to make the least surface area. The man was smart, he had to admit. No! He couldn't think that way. Gai was an outlaw. He couldn't admire him at the moment, only analyze the threat he posed.

Which reminded him, he really needed to concentrate on escaping. Gai would, at this rate, beat him down the mountain, so maybe going down, at least by this rather obvious route, was not the best choice. Instead, he could probably go down by another route, but he might get lost.

He had a better idea.

He still (somewhat) remembered the way up the mountain from here. If he hurried, he should get there before Gai did, because Gai was still rolling. Once there, he would get his horse, and simply ride down the path. And Gai could just try to stop him, but a man on foot has little chance against a man on horseback.

Then he would go back to town and return the horse to its owner-if he could find the owner-and be on his merry and always youthful way.

But if he did that, he was going to have to hurry. So Lee started walking. It was slower than rolling, and what had taken just a few minutes now took about three times as long. It was very frustrating. If he didn't go faster, Gai was going to catch up! And so he pushed himself. He was tired. After waking up in the middle of the night, he had gotten little sleep, and he never had eaten that sandwich, bringing it to a total of approximately twenty hours without eating and little rest. But Lee had always been able to call strength from deep within, and now he was going full force. Half of his power was momentum: He never let himself stop walking since he started. The other half was split between actual muscular ability and sheer force of will.

And so he stumbled up and up and up, until he came to where the horses were tied. He reached out to untie his own when suddenly he was in a choke hold.

Lee bucked back, gasping. What? WHAT? He hadn't seen Gai on the way up, and these arms were too small to be Gai's anyways. Then who-? As he struggled, his body was twisted and thrown to the ground. And then someone sat on his stomach.

It was difficult to regain his breath with someone was sitting on him, but he tried his best to regulate his breathing as he looked up at the boy. He looked to be about Lee's age, and was taller but less muscular, although that was hardly surprising. More surprising was the hair, long and a silky brown. Lee had never seen a boy with hair so long. It looked unmanly. Even more surprising were the eyes. He couldn't find the pupils, and the irises themselves seemed to be white. He had a nagging feeling that this reminded him of someone, but he was somewhat distracted by the boy's glare. Hostile and paranoid and threatening and several other words that all came down to the boy clearly not liking him.

He didn't really know what to say in this situation. Frankly, the hunger may have had a hand in that. The boy wasn't saying anything either, just glaring. And so they sat, or, in Lee's case, lay, until a girl walked out of the cave.

"Neji, what are you…Oh."

The girl, who had a pair of compact brown buns and big eyes to match them, walked over to the pair and looked Lee over. He was starting to feel uncomfortable with how he knew he must look, dirty and tired.

When she spoke, she addressed the boy, who apparently was named Neji. "Who is he? And why are you sitting on him?"

Neji's glare turned into a scowl, losing a bit of its immediate threat and adding a bit of pout. "I saw him trying to steal one of the horses. And he doesn't look too reputable, either."

Lee's eyes bulged and he felt hot with a strange combination of anger and embarrassment. Embarrassment because he knew how he must look-dirt, sweat, and blood. Anger because he had a feeling they were outlaws, and even if they weren't, they had no right to attack him like that and then criticize him like he hadn't just been kidnapped and therefore had greater concerns than cleanliness. "Sir, you would seem to be much more questionable than me! First of all, you are near the hideout of a known outlaw. Second, these horses are not yours, but when I try to take one you assume I am stealing one. You could only think that if you knew the owner of the horses-Maito Gai, the infamous outlaw! So you would seem to be much shadier than me. And you accuse me and attack me without having heard my side of the story! This behavior is outright unyouthful and I will not stand for it!"

Neji shifted his weight and narrowed his eyes, the white getting shadowy. "So you know Gai, huh? What are you doing here?"

Lee punched Neji in the nose. Clearly this boy was only going to listen for information, and did not really care what Lee had to say. Lee had no time for this; he was in the middle of an escape attempt. And so he kept on punching and struggling. He was at a disadvantage. Neji was using his position on top of Lee as best he could, trying to pin Lee's arms to his sides while Lee tried to knee him off.

The girl watched without interfering. Neji wouldn't appreciate it, and she had a feeling it would be difficult anyways. And so she was the only one watching when Gai arrived, running up the mountain as fast as was reasonable. But when he reached her, he seemed to be relieved.

"Tenten! You have caught Lee! Excellent job! I was worried about him escaping after he slipped away from me, but I forgot that you two are constantly on guard. Ah, my youthful cohorts!" He pulled Tenten into a hug that took her breath away completely. Gai did not physically skimp on hugs.

At this, the two boys looked up. Gai bounded over to them with a huge grin that seriously sparkled.

"Lee, welcome to my hideout! From now on, I hope it will become your home away from home. And Neji, Tenten, this is Lee. I have high hopes that he will become the next member of our gang."

Lee gaped. For a minute his mouth just opened and shut. Then he regained his voice, but it still sounded a little shaky. "What? How can you even think such a thing? I, Rock Lee, would never do something so unyouthful!"

Gai sighed slowly and mournfully. "Lee, I know you don't like outlaws and breaking the law, but…"

"You fiend! It's not about whether I like it! It is a question of morals!" Kakashi had given Lee a short lesson on morals. Of course, he'd already learned about them from his parents and his conscience, but Kakashi had been fond of giving him short lessons once in a while.

On that day, Kakashi had been quietly eating beans with him when he had looked up suddenly. "Lee," he'd said. "I know you judge your actions by their youthfulness and whether they are right or wrong."

Lee had answered, "Yes, sir!"

"So, you get that breaking the law is unyouthful. Also, disobeying me or doing something to displease me would be very unyouthful because I am your superior in this case and a person of authority."

"I understand that, sir."

"Good. Then, will you go and clean out the sheriff house for me? It's been a month since it's been done…Oh yeah, and can you also go buy us some groceries? And put up these WANTED posters around town. Oh, and don't forget to keep an eye out for outlaws. People like Gai have been running around the town more and more recently."

"Yes, Sheriff Hatake!" Ah, yes…Lee had understood even then. Some people had thought Kakashi was using him, but Lee had known he was training him to be youthful. And, of course, teaching him of the danger inherent in people like Gai. If he listened to men like Gai, he would become less youthful every day.

And now, that training would be needed, particularly with a tempter like Gai on hand.

Gai looked at Lee with pleading eyes. "Child, there is much you need to learn about youth. Youth is not about following the strict guidelines society imposes on us. Youth is about freedom, about breaking loose from the confines of laws! Every time I rob a bank or hold up a coach, I express my youth and individuality. And for you to truly embrace the ways of youth, you must do the same."

Lee blinked. "But youth is about hard work and not accepting your limits, not stealing the fruits of other people's hard work."

"Don't you understand…By listening to the laws of that blasted sheriff and his like, you are accepting limits and putting a boundary on your success! You become a slave of your society!" Gai's voice rose until he was nearly yelling.

"Youth cannot mean giving in to temptation! Can you not see that this lawbreaking is wrong?" Le shouted back.

Gai forcibly calmed himself down. Lee might be youthful, but even he would hesitate to agree with his own kidnapper. Given time he would change his mind, no doubt. He smiled brightly, changing moods in the way that caused many people to wonder if he had a split personality. "As I was saying, this is Lee. And Lee, these are Tenten and Neji Hyuga. I hope you become friends with them. You will be sharing a hideout with them for some time."


	6. Chapter 6

After dinner, Kakashi went over to the cells to have another talk with the so-called Demon Brothers and told them he knew they'd been there to learn about Tazuna.

Meizu started sweating (well, more than usual. Konoha Creek was generally pretty hot anyways). Gozu just shrugged.

"It's true. We might as well admit it," he added when Meizu glared at him. "I mean, it's not like he's done that much for us anyways, and I hear sheriff interrogation can get pretty rough…"

"Who hired you?" Kakashi demanded. "You mentioned him just a minute ago. Well? Who is he?"

Meizu and Gozu shared a look.

After that, Kakashi couldn't get anything else out of them. So he shrugged and headed, with Naruto and Sasuke, to Ichiraku Inn. Sakura and Iruka were left behind to make sure the demon brothers didn't escape.

The inn was full of customers, as usual. At the counter, Ayame was serving a tall man with spiky black hair some beer. Her face lit up when she saw Naruto in the doorway. "Naruto! I haven't seen you in a while! How's sheriff business?"

"Hey Ayame! We got attacked by outlaws today!"

"What?! Tell me what happened."

"I'm sorry, Ayame," Naruto said, glancing at Kakashi. "But we're here on business. We need to talk to Tazuna…"

Kakashi interrupted. "It's okay. You can talk to your friend here. Sasuke and I will go on ahead."

"Yes!" said Naruto. He bounced over to Ayame. "Okay Ayame, so these guys attacked us in the sheriff house. They were there to get information about Tazuna but Sakura hid beneath the desk and…"

Kakashi and Sasuke walked together to Tazuna's room. Sasuke was the one that knocked.

"Hey, Sheriff," Tazuna greeted as he opened the door. "What's up?"

Kakashi stepped inside quickly, closing the door fast behind him. "What's up is you were right. The sheriff's office was attacked today. The outlaws wanted information on you. We captured them, but I'm sure there are more on the loose."

Tazuna stood still, clearly stunned. Sasuke thought he looked older when he was frightened.

"Well, what can I do? I'm going to die. I don't want to die."

Kakashi rubbed his chin for a second. His bandana got in the way, so he stopped and put his hand at his side. "First of all, don't answer the door to anyone unless you know who it is first. Make sure you recognize their voice. If it isn't me, Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, Iruka, Ayame, or Teuchi, don't answer the door. Got that?"

"Right," said Tazuna.

Kakashi sighed. "It would also be helpful if you'd let me know who's trying to kill you. Who's the big guy behind this whole thing?"

"I don't know," Tazuna said nervously. "I only ever talked to his underlings."

This was really getting very annoying. Kakashi couldn't properly protect a man if he didn't know who he was protecting him from.

Meanwhile, Naruto was still talking to Ayame. Teuchi had come out and was listening in, his forehead wrinkled in concern.

When Naruto had finished, he said, "So you don't have a gun, hm? And you need one?"

Naruto sighed. "Yeah. But," he added cheerfully. "If I save up carefully, I'm sure I'll be able to buy one soon enough."

Teuchi shook his head slowly. "Soon might be too late. Sounds to me like you need one now, boy." He paused, and wiped his hands off on his pants. "You wait a second. I've got something here." He bustled off to the back of the tavern and came back holding a large rifle. It was almost as tall as Naruto himself, and the barrel looked as though it was made of wood, though Naruto wasn't too sure-he'd touched it once and it had felt much harder than that. He recognized it. It was the gun that Teuchi had hanging over the fireplace usually. Mostly for show, though Teuchi had used it more than once.

Teuchi held it out to Naruto. "Here, Naruto. It isn't much, but I expect it'll help you a bit."

Naruto stared at it. "You're giving me your rifle?"

"Yes. I had planned on giving it to my son, but all I have so far is Ayame, though," he said, patting his daughter on the shoulder, "she's good enough for anyone. You've always been like a son to me; I figure you might as well have it if you're going to need it."

Naruto stared. Then he reached out and gently touched the barrel. It was smooth under his fingers. He took it out of Teuchi's hands lightly, as though it was an unspeakable treasure. It was heavy, the way he'd always known it was, but he could manage it. Part of him wanted to point it at something, shoot a bottle maybe. But that was unsafe, and he needed to prove himself worthy of their trust.

He rested the bottom of the rifle on the ground. Could he really accept such a thing? "Won't you need it, Teuchi?"

"Not as much as a sheriff's deputy will."

"Yeah, but you get some pretty tough customers in here. I've seen them. Won't you need to defend yourself?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe," Teuchi said carelessly. "But, lookee here." He reached down and took something out of his belt holster. He showed it to Naruto. A small but shiny pistol. "Now that I have this, I don't need a big, clunky gun. This little baby's enough."

Naruto hesitated, and then grinned. "Okay then! Thanks, Mr. Teuchi. You're a real nice guy." He started fiddling with the rifle, holding it a hundred different ways: under his arm, in both hands, in one hand, over his shoulder, in position to shoot (without pulling back the hammer) and every other way he could think of.

"Yippee!" he said.

It was at this point that Kakashi and Sasuke emerged from Tazuna's room. "Naruto," Kakashi said. "Put down the rifle. We've got to get going."

"But it's mine now! I have my own gun!" Naruto shouted. He spun around in circles, tripped, and landed with the gun on top of him. It took him a moment to lift it off him before he could get up. This accomplished, he started jumping up and down in place and babbling to Sasuke about what a cool gun he now had.

Kakashi didn't try to stop him. Although it was kind of scary that he cared so much just about a gun, and an old rifle at that. He merely said, "Good, but we really do have to get going."

"So long, Teuchi! See you, Ayame!" Naruto hollered. With that, the sheriff and his deputies left the inn.

Ayame turned to her other customer-the one with the spiky black hair-to ask him if he wanted anything else, but he was already gone. He had left as soon as he'd heard the end of Naruto's story, and headed out to tell it to his employer…Orochimaru.

* * *

Gai's cave was larger than one might assume from the size of the opening. Still, it was not nearly large enough for four people to live in comfortably. Gai seemed to be completely unaware of this and Lee was too busy fuming to care, but Neji and Tenten were annoyed.

"I mean seriously," Neji muttered to Tenten as Gai cheerfully dragged Lee around the hideout in the manner of showing someone around a house. "It was bad enough with three people. And why is he kidnapping this guy again?"

Tenten shrugged. "To join the gang? I don't think that's going to work out very well," she said, glancing over at Lee, who was yelling furiously and trying to break Gai's grip on his wrist. "Maybe he just wanted to hang out with a kindred spirit. They seem to be on the same page." As much as the deputy of one's eternal arch nemesis could be with one.

"Yeah." Neji shuddered. "I didn't think there was another guy in this world who thought youth was an ideal. Or who talked…like that."

They stared into each other's eyes, feeling as if having two people like that, with even the same haircut, for goodness sakes, in the same room, was a horror no sane being should have to endure.

Still, Gai seemed to be enjoying it. And enjoying it a lot more than Lee was.

Lee really didn't look that well. Neji frowned. "How much did Gai beat him up? He looks weak." Then again, dealing with Gai for more than a few minutes made most people feel weak. Neji knew the feeling. Sympathizing with the boy, he cleared his throat. "Sir, Lee has had a hard ride to get here. Perhaps you should let him rest."

Gai looked over at them. "What? Lee, tired? Impossible. He is far too youthful for such a thing."

"I am perfectly fine," Lee announced. "And anyways, there is no way I could possibly relax while prisoner in a den of crime and sin such as this."

Neji half expected Gai to protest at this, but Gai merely nodded as if to express approval. He sighed, wondering why he even bothered trying.

Tenten asked, "So, how did you guys meet anyways?"

Gai flashed a sudden grin, breaking out of solemnity. "A long tale! Sit down and I will tell you, for Lee and I share a complicated relationship!" He dropped onto the floor with his legs crossed, pulling Lee down with him. Lee couldn't really resist, since he was weak with hunger, but he did shoot a glare at Gai.

"You see, I may have mentioned this before, but Lee is the deputy of my eternal rival, Sheriff Kakashi! Many times I have fought Kakashi, and always-"

"Uh," Tenten interrupted. "We already know that part." Gai tended to rant about his eternal rival quite often.

Gai's brow wrinkled for a second, before clearing. He gave her a thumbs up. "Quite so, quite so. My dear companions in crime have such good memories. In any case, Lee is his deputy. The first time we met was that shootout at the sheriff house, when I made a dynamic entry to challenge the sheriff. I found that he wasn't alone, but had Lee with him, and Lee cheered him on while we-"

Neji coughed. "Actually, we've heard that too, remember? You told us about those times." Neji and Tenten had heard about practically every time Gai had ever challenged Kakashi and many of them included Lee's interference or watching. "What we really want to know is how you met today. How you ended up kidnapping him."

"Oh." Gai was disappointed. That was such a short story. Well, he could make it sound good, anyways. "I met Lee in a bar yesterday evening. He told me that he was on a journey of youth and self discovery." He sniffed. "Lee's so youthful sometimes. Anyways, we had a drink to celebrate, and then a man attacked Lee! But he proved his youthfulness by defeating the man fairly and quickly. Then another man attacked, and then five more men! Lee was doing an excellent job of defeating them, but I figured I should lend a hand. Soon, we had to take the whole bar on. It was a youthful endeavor and Lee was doing an honorable job."

"Um, that's nice," said Tenten. "But how did this lead to you kidnapping him?"

"Well," said Gai. "He ended up unconscious, so I kidnapped him."

Apparently Gai was under the impression that this made complete sense. Neji gave up. He should have known better than to ask their leader for logic. He didn't have much logic, but he claimed to make up for it with youthfulness.

Lee said, "If you were going to kidnap me, you should have waited until I woke up! Your actions are shameful!"

Gai sat up straight as if he had just had a huge inspiration. "I had forgotten! I have to go do laps around the mountaintop to counter the unyouthfulness. You two, don't let Lee escape. I'll be right back!" He dashed out the door at full speed.

Lee waited only a few seconds before making for the cave door. Neji lunged at him and just barely managed to hit him, but Lee, completely out of energy, collapsed on the floor.

Neji scanned Lee worriedly. Lee was a very spirited boy, and also amazingly muscular. There was no reason for him to be so easy to knock over. Come to think of it, it shouldn't have been so easy for him to push Lee down earlier, either. There was something wrong.

Tenten appeared to be equally worried. She kneeled down next to Lee and asked gently, "Did Gai hurt you badly?"

Lee stared up at her. "No. Gai barely touched me, except that bear hug." The bear hug had been a fearsome thing, but Gai had actually protected him from some speed bumps by taking them himself, so Lee didn't mind except for the fact that if it weren't for that bear hug, he probably would have escaped.

"You seem to be injured, though," Tenten remarked, surveying the bruises on Lee's face and the dried blood on his green clothes.

"Ah, it's nothing major. And it wasn't Gai. I got slightly injured in the bar fight, and more in the roll down the mountain," Lee said, abashed. As a deputy, even an ex-deputy, he shouldn't be so fragile.

Tenten glanced at Neji. "Oh yeah, he did roll down the mountain, didn't he? Well, we should probably bandage him up. Bring me some supplies; they're behind the rock with the tablecloth."

As Neji headed over for the bandages and a washcloth, Lee attempted to get up, but was completely winded. "It is most kind of you to treat my small injuries," he said. "But if you really wished to do me a kindness, you would help me to escape from Gai…"

"Not happening," Tenten answered firmly. "He's our leader. We abide by his decisions. You're not leaving. Now, take your shirt off."

Although Lee knew it was necessary to take it off for Tenten to clean his bruises and scrapes, it was still a bit embarrassing. He didn't generally wear anything less than full outfit, complete with his now missing hat, in front of a girl.

Neji, meanwhile, was gaping at Lee's muscles. He knew the guy was fit, but not that fit. Suddenly it made sense that Gai would want him to join the gang-the guy was a complete strong man. Neji felt jealous.

Tenten wetted a washcloth with water from the supplies and started to clean the blood and dirt from Lee's scratches. She paused on the stomach as she felt a vibration. And then, as she paused, heard it growl.

Had Gai mentioned stopping for breakfast at any point during his story?

"Uh, Lee," she asked. "When was the last time you ate?"

Lee looked up innocently. "Yesterday morning. A kind man took me in after I fainted on the desert and gave me breakfast. After that I was too busy to eat." He decided not to mention that before yesterday morning, he had barely eaten for a few days while he had been traveling through the desert. He hadn't had enough supplies, but he was not a weakling.

Tenten and Neji both thought, "Oh."

Well, that would explain his weakness then. Apparently the scratches were really just scratches. Tenten continued her cleaning and asked Neji if he could bring all of them some lunch.

* * *

Kakashi got the feeling he wasn't going to get any more information from Gozu or Meizu. Which meant it really was time for them to move out of his sheriff house. Sure, he had a few jail cells, but these guys were wanted statewide, so they had to be brought to the state prison, and given a trial for their other crimes.

And so, that night, while the boys slept, he had a talk with Iruka.

"We need to get rid of those demon brothers," he remarked. When Iruka nodded in agreement, he continued, "It's probably best that I'm the one to bring them to the state prison. After all, I was the only one able to take them down."

Iruka scowled. He hated when Kakashi acted like he was useless. "The only reason they beat me is because they took me by surprise. They're not likely to do that again."

Kakashi smiled reassuringly, forgetting Iruka couldn't see it through his bandana. "Don't worry, I'm not discounting you. You need to stay in town. I have a feeling there's going to be trouble soon, and you're going to be needed, preferably watching Tazuna as closely as possible."

"More outlaws, you think? Yeah, I see what you mean. I can handle whatever comes up, if you need me to. But still," he hesitated. "You shouldn't go to the state prison with those two alone. If they tried to jump you, you'd be helpless."

Kakashi didn't think he would be helpless, exactly-he was the man who had taught Rock Lee fistfighting, for goodness' sakes!-but he went along with it. "I can take a deputy."

"Two deputies," Iruka countered, his eyes narrowing. He himself would need at least one deputy to deal with the upcoming trouble, but "Two on two is still not good odds when one is a child."

"Fine."

"I'll keep Sasuke, I guess," said Iruka.

Kakashi shook his head. "No, you keep Naruto."

"No, I already know Naruto pretty well, and I've seen enough of Sakura. But I've hardly even talked to Sasuke. We need bonding time." Iruka was an orphan. When he was a kid, he had always wanted a family more than anything. For him, Kakashi and his fellow deputies were like his new family. It had nearly broken his heart when Lee left, but he was rebuilding. And though he felt he had the connection with Naruto and was slowly building a friendship with Sakura, Sasuke was still a mystery.

But Kakashi wasn't bending. "No way. I'm taking Sasuke. You get Naruto. That's an order."

That was it. "Kakashi! Just give me Sasuke! I might need a good shot, and anyways it doesn't even matter that much! Just-"

Kakashi punched Iruka to the floor.

Iruka stood up with a sigh. "Okay, I get it. You're serious. But why do you need Sasuke? You don't even like him."

"Well, it's not like I hate him, really," Kakashi answered uneasily. Ah, if he could just punch Iruka to make the questions go away. But he had just punched him a second ago, and he didn't like to do that more than once per conversation.

"You don't? You gave him absolutely no credit for the standoff or his idea, you made him walk home when he was completely beaten up from falling off a cactus you made him climb yourself, and you made him sleep in a cell. How else do you explain that?"

"About half of that is just standard treatment for deputies. Besides, he's such a brat. Assured of his own value, with a tragic sob story that makes him not care about anyone but himself." Kakashi turned away.

"But that means you don't like him."

"Of course not. How would you like to see a shadow of your former, pathetic self?"

If Kakashi had been hoping for understanding and pity, he'd gone to the wrong person. He'd forgotten that Iruka had always seen a shadow of himself in Naruto. So Iruka just smiled and said, "Hey, it gives you a chance to make his life better than yours was, and teach him stuff you didn't learn."

"Exactly. That's why I keep picking on him. Someone really needs to take him down a notch."

Iruka thought that the person who needed to be taken down a notch was Sheriff Hatake. Still, he did not complain anymore about Kakashi's arrangements, and the next day, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura headed off to the state prison with the Demon Brothers in tow.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: I am not sure where to go with the story after this, so suggestions would be useful. Also, you all forgot the runaway Hinata, didn't you? Well, here she is.

Hinata had always been seen as the weak one of the family.

Her father had always been willing to tell her about her faults: She was bodily weak, didn't like guns, didn't think plans through and was way too squeamish. Not traits that boded well for an outlaw, and outlawry was the Hyuga family business.

And so, the thousandth time Hiashi told Hinata she was not fit to be an outlaw, she decided he was right. It was not, after all, like there was anything so glorious about being an outlaw anyways. However she doubted her father, no matter how much he disapproved of her, would let her leave the family business. He was a stickler for tradition. So she would have to run away.

She had left in the middle of the night, taking nothing but a horse and her clothes, and leaving nothing behind but her other belongings and a note, explaining she was going to go off and become something that was not an outlaw and never come back, and that it was no use going after her. She had felt a bit sorry for Hanabi, left to face Hiashi alone, and had apologized in her note, but there was no way that was going to make her stay. Father had always liked Hanabi better anyways, and she was far more suited to become an outlaw.

The main problem with her plan was that, well, she didn't really have one. She hadn't thought very far past leaving the house, except to get far away as fast as possible. So she wandered for a while, and somehow ended up in an inn in Konoha Creek, buying some supplies before moving on.

She was only stopping to talk to Teuchi, a rather fatherly man, for an instant. But she had not been speaking for even that instant when they were interrupted.

"Mr. Teuchi! I haven't seen you since yesterday!"

She turned to see a blond boy with a huge grin on his face and a deputy's badge on his shirt pocket. For a moment she quivered-Hyuugas and law enforcement were not a good combination-before remembering that she had decided not to become an outlaw, and had nothing to be afraid of.

The boy walked over to Teuchi and the pair started to chat. Suddenly he grabbed Hinata's arm and said, "And who's she? New in town? Maybe a relative?"

Hinata cringed.

Teuchi laughed easily. "Naruto, you're scaring the poor girl. Why don't you ask her if you want to know so badly?"

"Okay," the newly proclaimed Naruto said. And then, to Hinata, "So, who are you?"

"Um. My name's Hinata." Please don't ask my last name.

Naruto didn't seem to notice the missing last name. "So what are you doing in Konoha Creek?"

He must think she was a criminal. This was a problem. Think fast, Hinata! "I'm, uh, I'm, I'm…."

"Heh, so you're not doing anything in particular? I didn't think so. You didn't look like you knew what you were doing."

"Naruto!" Ayame shouted. "Don't be rude to the girl."

"It wasn't an insult," Naruto protested.

"Oh?" said Ayame. "Well, what was it then?"

Hinata, meanwhile, was blushing deeply. She had hoped to remain inconspicuous, but it didn't look like it was going to work out. As the young woman and the blond boy continued arguing, another man strode into the inn. He also wore a deputy badge almost identical to Naruto's and a long suffering look. "Naruto, I don't leave you alone for two minutes and you're already making trouble," he scolded. "Apologize to Miss Ayame."

"Make him apologize to Hinata; she's the one he insulted," Ayame said with a hmph. She glared at both Naruto and Iruka.

"I didn't insult her!" said Naruto.

Iruka sighed like Hiashi used to when Gai rode up to the Hyuga household and started declaring the joys of youth to the whole neighborhood. "Miss, I am sorry about whatever Naruto said. He's a loose cannon. I hope he hasn't influenced you against the town."

"Of-of course not." Coming to the attention of two deputies as soon as she entered the town! This was not a good day for Hinata.

"Will you be staying in town long?" Iruka asked politely, while Naruto and Ayame were still holding a glaring contest.

"Uh…"

"Probably not," Naruto said loudly. "She's not really doing anything here."

Hinata felt a bit slighted. "Yes. For a couple weeks anyways." Which was a horrible decision, staying in the only town where two deputies knew her already, but she couldn't back down from that. Even if she was a failure as a bandit, she was still a Hyuuga and had a Hyuuga's pride.

Naruto's eyebrows lifted almost to his hairline, which was a pretty high hairline, so Hinata felt a great deal of satisfaction, though she tried not to show it.

"Do you want to get a room here?" Teuchi offered.

"All-all right."

"Excellent!" He named a price, and Hinata accepted without haggling. She didn't want to make any more of a scene.

And that was how Hinata Hyuuga ended up spending more time in Konoha Creek than she had expected. She also ended up in the room next to a man named Tazuna, who was apparently being guarded by the deputies at the moment. They refused to explain why.

Tazuna was a bit wary of her. She wondered if he suspected her outlaw roots. She wondered if the deputies had suspected her outlaw roots and told her their suspicion. She wondered if being raised as an outlaw had made her so paranoid she was going stupid.

Whatever. There was a pump and a tub near her room, and Teuchi was a kind enough host to heat the water up for a bath. After a couple weeks on the road, she was going to enjoy this.

* * *

The first night, Sasuke was left on guard for the first portion of the night, and he could have done it alone, but for some reason, Sakura chose to stay up with him.

He never really understood the girl's logic, but he didn't mind having someone to sit with. Keeping watch was dead boring. There was only so much of staring at the stars a man could take. As for the amount of staring at Sakura a man could take-well, if it got dull, he could always go back to the stars again, or claim he had to check on the prisoners.

So the two ended up sitting next to a dying campfire, with Kakashi and the demon brothers sleeping in sleeping bags on the other side. Sakura had a blanket draped over her shoulders, since desert nights were often cold, but Sasuke just wore his normal clothes. Kakashi slept completely silently a few feet away-as Sasuke had already known from experience at the sheriff house-while the brothers were snoring quietly and perfectly in rhythm. So in rhythm that Sasuke suspected they were faking sleep so that they could escape while Kakashi was sleeping and he was off guard. Well, not on his watch.

"So, Sasuke," Sakura said quietly. "How do you…I mean…What do you think of being a deputy?"

Sasuke shrugged. Just because he was grateful for the company didn't mean he was going to talk.

"I mean, you know I only became a deputy because of you, Sasuke." She giggled self consciously. "But I think it's working out all right. For me, I mean. And Naruto's not such an idiot as I thought. So…"

"I'd noticed you hanging out with him more often," Sasuke said. He heard a tinge of frost in his voice. Bother. He'd wanted that to sound neutral. He didn't want to fight with Sakura, and really there was nothing to fight about.

"Well, yes. I mean, I'd like to hang out with you, Sasuke. But you're always busy."

She'd hesitated before that last word and Sasuke easily interpreted the hesitation: she meant he was always sitting quietly in the corner. Which was true but there was nothing wrong with that! And just because he wasn't doing things with her every second didn't mean she had to run to Naruto as soon as she stopped talking to him! That was just ridiculous. After all, he was the guy she liked, wasn't he?

Of course he was.

He realized he had just been sitting without talking for a few moments, so he sat up straight again and found himself looking into her eyes. She looked away quickly. Typical Sakura. She'd never act this way around Naruto.

He smiled slightly, in a way that actually wasn't a smirk, although it was a little smug.

"I think being a deputy has been…interesting." He wasn't sure how else to describe it. Sometimes it was uncomfortable, like when he ended up sleeping in a cell, and sometimes it was exhausting and painful, like climbing cacti, and sometimes it was actually terrifying, like when outlaws attacked the sheriff's office. But he couldn't tell Sakura all of that, since it made him sound like a coward or a weakling, and anyways he somehow liked being a deputy.

Sakura looked puzzled. "Um, yes. I would agree with that." Her face brightened. "When the outlaws attacked, wasn't that exciting?"

Terrifying. He'd never had a gun pointed at him before. It made him remember unpleasant things. "It was."

"Of course, I was not as afraid as I could've been. I knew you wouldn't let me get hurt, Sasuke," said Sakura. Her face looked dreamy.

Sasuke frowned. He had been pretty much zero use during that attack. Most of the real work had been done by Naruto and Sakura and Kakashi, with Iruka providing a comforting influence. He didn't see why his presence would make Sakura feel safe.

She was a fool, really.

She was still smiling at him, hopefully. He said, "I would never let you get hurt."

Because when someone was depending on you that was what you did. He wouldn't let Sakura down.

She grinned suddenly, and he thought she looked a little like Naruto. Except blushing. And Naruto didn't blush. "Sasuke!"

What did one say to that?

He said, "It's a cold night." So now he was commenting on the weather just because he felt awkward? Ah, how the mighty had fallen. He sighed.

But for some reason Sakura didn't seem to mind. She just said, "You can have my blanket, if you want."

"No. You need it." It was true that it was cold, but not actually cold enough for him to be complaining about it. That was just to pass attention away from awkwardness, really. He was an Uchiha, and Uchihas didn't whine!

"We could share it," she offered, hesitantly, already moving closer to him. He almost leaned towards her to take a part of the blanket, but he snapped back.

"No, you can have it." Uchihas didn't snuggle. Pretty much ever.

Sakura sighed, disappointed, but returned to her side of the fire.

Sasuke watched the embers glow. It would be more interesting if it were high fire and he could watch the sparks, but this was safer, less likely to attract bandits.

Not that he couldn't have taken them, with Kakashi and Sakura there to help.

* * *

Lee had been stuck in the outlaws' hideout for a whole day. It was a disconcerting experience. He had had to sit by and listen while Gai, the green fiend, plotted crimes with his two subordinates, grinning all the while! The man was completely lawless, and he seemed to enjoy it.

Today, the third day since his capture, Neji had gone out with Tenten to get food and supplies from the town while Gai held down the fort and, coincidentally, Lee. Now that Neji and Tenten were out he was no longer outnumbered, and surely the time was perfect to escape. The only obstacle was Gai, who was unfortunately a rather large obstacle, not to mention cunning and youthful.

Gai started out the day by tying Lee to a chair with his arms tied down by his sides.

He then crouched next to him, grinned a huge grin and announced, "So, how do you like Nejii and Tenten?"

Lee thought about it for a moment. The problem was that Gai had asked about both of them at once. He knew what he thought of them, really, and it was about the same-they were bad people to follow Gai but more or less courteous in an outlaw sort of way. But if he talked about Neji, he wanted to sound scornful, but it would be rude to talk that way about Tenten, since she was a girl.

He cleared his throat. "They seem most capable. I cannot fathom why they would want to follow a man like you."

Gai's grin turned into a disappointed face. "Ah, Lee," he sighed tragically. "They understand what you do not. They feel the tug of adventure, or freedom. If you could feel that too, you would perhaps be able to fathom it, as you say."

Lee scowled at the man. "I have often felt the temptation to stray from the paths of youth and justice, but I know my duty and I know what is right. That is what you have lost."

Gai frowned. "You are young and full of enthusiasm, but when you say such things you sound older than I do."

Lee half agreed with this. It really wasn't fair.

"Perhaps it is because you are looking for youth in the wrong places. Certainly you have youthful fire, but you seem to think your vocation is to keep it restrained."

The mixed metaphors were starting to give Lee a headache. Also the ropes were making his arms sore, and he hated sitting still.

He fidgeted.

Gai glanced down at his fidgeting arms and legs. "Ah, I see you feel restricted by your bonds, young ex-deputy? I am sorry to keep you bound so, but I know you and I know how you would act without them. You would definitely try to escape! And I will not allow that. You will stay here until you realize the truth of my teachings and accept that lawlessness is the true expression of youth!"

"I will never accept such a thing, you fiend! And it is purposeless for you to try to hold me captive here, not to mention cruel!"

Gai stroked his chin. "Ah, in time you will see the wisdom of my words. I will convince you with the power of my determination."

Lee was, actually, starting to get a bit worried about this. Seeing Gai alone in a bar was enough to make him doubt his own, lawful principles and was bad enough. Being stuck in a cave with him and his minions for who knew how long would be…bad. Sooner or later he was afraid he would cease resisting the brainwashing, which Gai honestly seemed to believe, and stop believing in the value of law and order.

He had one hope though, other than his youthfulness. Kakashi. The man had no way to know that he was in trouble, but he was a good sheriff, and he seemed to hear a lot more than he really should have been able to. Surely he would hear about this eventually, and when the time came he would come and rescue his (ex) deputy. In the meantime, Lee would simply have to hold up as best he could.

So he made an elaborate grimace at Gai and told him, "The power of Sheriff Hatake's determination is even more powerful than your determination!"

"It is not!" Gai shouted, clearly insulted.

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

* * *

The attack on Tazuna happened the very next day, late in the afternoon.

Naruto and Iruka were sitting in Tazuna's room, playing more poker. Tazuna was winning, but the two deputies were not betting any money on the games, so they did not really care. Then there was a knock on the door.

Naruto called out, "Who's there?"

The voice that answered was a boy's voice. "Ayame wanted me to bring up some coffee for you all."

The deputies and Tazuna exchanged glances. "It's just a boy," said Iruka, who had a soft spot for kids. "I'll let him in."

But Naruto, who sprang up at that moment, ran over to the door before he could.

The door obscured much of what happened after that. The only clear thing was that there was a scuffle, with Naruto hollering and the other poor boy yelping. Iruka was heading over to put an end to the fight when Naruto was shoved roughly through the door and a man with a bandana over his mouth followed.

Oh, and the man was not Kakashi.

"You see what you did to my helper, kid?" the man demanded in a growl. "I think you broke his nose. Maybe I should break yours to pay for it."

Iruka subtly moved in front of Tazuna (this looked like danger) and said, "I'm sorry if Naruto has hurt the boy. Who are you and what is your business here? You do not look like you were sent by Ayame."

The man looked up and laughed. With the casualty of a pro, he took a gun out of his belt and pointed it at Iruka's head.

Iruka paled. Naruto gasped.

The man said, "I am Zabuza Momochi. You may have heard of me. I'm quite renowned as an assassin in some places. But that shouldn't really matter to you right now," he said, moving his gun slightly so that it was still pointing at Iruka's head as the man fidgeted. "What's important is that you step away from the old man. I only have to kill one person today, and I don't want to have to get messy."

Iruka only stepped closer to Tazuna, shielding his body from the gun.

Zabuza sighed. "You sheriffs are all so frustrating. But I guess it doesn't really matter how many people I kill, in the end."

Bang.

Iruka, who had been bracing himself, felt no pain at all. It took him a moment to process what he was seeing. Zabuza Momochi had fallen to his knees with both hands clutching his shoulder. Red blood seeped down on his shirt and Iruka could see more from between his fingers. His gun lay forgotten on the floor with a few drops of blood on it.

"I'll shoot you dead next time you try something," said a quiet voice. "You or your boy."

Naruto stared at the doorway. All right, he should be used to people barging in on his standoffs by now. He should know that the hero always arrived unexpectedly, a few minutes late and yet just on time. But  
seriously, "Hinata?"

"Naruto, you should probably collect their guns," the girl in the doorway suggested. She was very calm for a girl who had just shot a man with his back turned. Maybe the shock hadn't set in yet. Either way, Naruto nodded. He picked Zabuza's gun up off the floor. The boy he'd fought earlier surrendered his gun without protest. He put both guns in his belt and started looking for something to tie the assassin and the boy up with.

"Hey, can you keep them covered while I get some rope from Teuchi?" He asked Hinata embarrassedly.

Iruka cleared his throat. "I'm sure between the two of us we can manage it. Get going."

So Naruto did, indeed, get going.

Meanwhile Hinata was having a calm, quiet panic attack. She'd really done it this time. All right, so she couldn't have just let them get shot. But she didn't need to shoot Zabuza in the back either! Now they were never going to believe she was just an innocent girl passing through the town. She'd blown it.

This she contemplated as the deputies handcuffed the two miscreants (Naruto had ended up just going down to the sheriff's office for handcuffs instead of getting rope). She almost expected them to handcuff her as well, but it appeared they still weren't that suspicious yet. They did, however, as her to come down to the sheriff's office with them, saying they could use an extra gun going through town. Of course she didn't argue, but she felt a little sick to her stomach. If this was a trap and she had to fight her way out, she wasn't sure she wanted to shoot the two deputies. They seemed friendly.

With Zabuza and his sidekick in the cells, Naruto, Iruka and Hinata headed out to the main room, where Iruka paused.

"Hm. That seems almost too easy. Maybe one of us should go back to watch Tazuna some more," he said thoughtfully. "But we can't just leave the sheriff's office unattended. Naruto, you and Hinata stay here and watch the prisoners. I'll be back before midnight."

Naruto nodded eagerly. Hinata kind of wondered when she had signed up for deputy duties, but kept her thoughts to herself. Like usual.


End file.
